torture

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torture Infliction of pain on a person to extract information, a confession or to indulge sadistic inclinations. It has been practised in many cultures. Until the 18th century in Europe, it was considered a legitimate means of extracting a legal confession to a crime. The 1949 Geneva Convention included a clause against torture. Despite this, the use of torture has continued. There has been increasing recognition of “psychological torture”, in which disorientation, fear and loss of sleep and self-respect are used instead of or in addition to the simple application of physical pain.

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