Article

The policy context of torture : a social psychological analysis

Herbert C. Kelman

• International review of the Red Cross, Vol. 87, no. 857, March 2005, p. 123-134

English

The present analysis suggests several conditions under which torture becomes an instrument of State policy and the authority structure of the State is fully utilized to implement that policy: the perception by State authorities that the security of the State is under severe threat - which, at the macro-level, can justify torture and, at the micro-level, contribute to its authorization; the existence of an elaborate and powerful apparatus charged with protecting the security of the State - which, at the macro-level, may lead to the recruitment and training of professional torturers as part of that apparatus and, at the micro-level, contribute to the routinization of torture; and the existence of disaffected ethnic, religious, political, or other groups within (or under the control) of the State that do not enjoy full citizenship rights - which, at the macro-level, may lead to their designation as enemies of the State and appropriate targets for torture and, at the micro-level, their dehumanization.

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• International review of the Red Cross / ICRC
• International review of the Red Cross [Vol. 87, no. 857, March 2005] / ICRC