1. Is torture justified when used for national security?
Arguments supporting the motion Arguments against the motion
Torture may be justified when used in limited cases for national
security, as it can be an effective method for gathering
intelligence. According to a study by the American Civil Liberties
Union, there are some cases in which the use of torture can be
effective in gathering intelligence. For example, in the case of the
“ticking time bomb” scenario, the use of torture may be justified
in order to obtain information that could prevent an imminent
attack. Therefore, torture may be justified in limited cases for
national security, as it can be an effective method for gathering
intelligence.
Torture is never justified when used for national security, as it is a
violation of human rights and is prohibited in many international
treaties. The United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT)
prohibits the use of torture in any situation and states that no
circumstances, such as national security, can be used to justify it.
Furthermore, the European Convention on Human Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights also prohibit
the use of torture. For example, in the case of Ireland v. The United
Kingdom, the European Court of Human Rights found that the use
of five techniques against a detainee in Northern Ireland, including
hooding, stress positions, and sleep deprivation, constituted a
violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. This
shows that torture is never justified when used for national security,
as it is a violation of human rights and is prohibited in many
international treaties.
Torture can be used as a last resort in cases of extreme urgency.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the use
of torture can be justified in certain cases of extreme urgency,
such as when a person’s life is in imminent danger. For example,
in the case of Kumanovo v. Macedonia, the European Court of
Human Rights found that the use of torture against a detainee was
justified, as the detainee was believed to be planning an imminent
Torture is ineffective for gathering intelligence and can lead to
unreliable information. According to a study by the Open Society
Justice Initiative, torture is an “inherently unreliable and
ineffective” method of gathering information. Furthermore,
research has shown that the use of torture can lead to false
confessions, as detainees may provide false information in order to
stop the pain. As such, torture is not an effective or reliable method