Abstract
Torture is an art of life preservation. A 'good' torturer learns to maintain life, in order that death not prevent the continued infliction of pain. Accordingly, as Darius Rejali notes in his study of torture in Iran: 'The imperative is not to take life, but to maintain it for as long as possible on the threshold of death' 2 Today's torturers have at their fingertips the best bodies of knowledge and technologies to enable the indefinite and painful continuation of life. The institutional apparatus which administer the torture of bodies require not merely the services of official torturers (guards, interrogators, etc), but the concentrated deployment of medical, bureaucratic and psychological expertise.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Australian Studies |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |
Keywords
- political prisoners
- psychology
- torture
- torture victims
- whips
