To the editor:

The report about U.S. investigators using torture in the “war against terrorism” (J-W, July 1) described sleep deprivation, shackling prisoners in uncomfortable positions, strobe lights and noise abuse. This is disturbing enough, but the Amnesty International statement cited by the report presents even more disturbing news: 1) Not only are prisoners denied lawyers or outside contact and treated to the “legal” forms of torture listed above, but they are often “softened up” (beaten) before interrogation, 2) According to one U.S. government official, “If you don’t violate someone’s human rights some of the time, you probably aren’t doing your job,” 3) The U.S. “transfers” some investigations to allies, whose brutal torture methods are well documented by our own state department. At least 100 suspects since 9-11 have been sent to Saudi Arabia and Morocco, where they experience beatings, pulled fingernails, non-lethal hangings and electric shock.

In justifying war with Iraq, President Bush denounced torture used by that government: “If this is not evil, then evil has no meaning.” Is torture by and for the United States somehow less evil?

If moral outrage isn’t enough to stop us from using or condoning torture of any sort, Amnesty International presents practical reasons: Torture is mostly ineffective because prisoners tend to lie to make it stop, it makes terrorists of its victims from fear and desire for revenge, it sets a precedent that will make the world more inhumane. If the most powerful country in the world has to torture, how (can we) convince anyone else that they shouldn’t torture?

Sharon Dewey,

Lawrence