AND, the pain and suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation or consent of a public official or other person acting on official capacity. Torture is an instrument of power used to break down, to devastate people working for democratic change within their own countries. Torture is THE most effective tool against democracy and it is used as a powerful instrument to get and retain power and control. Dictatorships and military regimes utilize torture as a means of retaining their power and control over a population. It is a deliberate and willful act by an individual or a group of individuals against another person.
Torture is carried out.
Although torture is practiced in widely diverse sections of the world, the methods and techniques employed are remarkably similar. According to Amnesty International over 132 countries practice torture. Every year this world-wide phenomenon brutalizes untold thousands of people from every walk of life and every corner of the world. Class, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, and political belief - none of these guarantees protection from the vile practice. Targets of torture are often individuals who are active in their communities such as teachers, journalists, priests, work supervisors, student leaders and leaders of ethnic minorities.