Information about torture
You might wonder just what kind of person wants to know about torture. You just might be surprised to find out that it isn’t normally a psychopath that is looking for a way to feed his insanity. Techniques fall into various categories including medieval, psychological and interrogation. Those that read about torture may do it to learn how not to repeat history, or to use the information when writing a novel, or any of a dozen other reasons. Your reasons are your own. Here you will find websites and articles about various things torture related. With any luck you will find what you are looking for. Just remember, most are illegal!
Global Alexa Rating: 648
This is a unique article on the Slate website that is one writer’s endeavor to shed light on some of the heinous torture techniques believed to have been conducted against CIA detainees. The article discusses the differences between two types of “clean” torture – French modern and Anglo-Saxon modern then goes on to discuss the Anglo-Saxon modern techniques that have been used by the CIA.
2. 10 Bizarre Torture Methods by Weird Worm: http://www.weirdworm.com/10-bizarre-torture-methods/
Global Alexa Rating: 171,382
This is an article on Weird Worm that talks about ten weird torture methods believed to have been utilized in ancient times. Each of the ten is described and a photo or drawing given of the equipment or technique used to conduct the torture. There is also another article on the Weird Worm site entitled, “17 of the Most Horrifying Torture Devices Ever Conceived.” It is located at http://www.weirdworm.com/17-of-the-most-horrifying-torture-devices-ever-conceived/. It is mostly just photos.
3. Lords and Ladies – Middle Ages: http://www.lordsandladies.org/middle-ages-torture.htm
Global Alexa Rating: 357,594
This site discusses the many different methods that were used for torture back in the medieval period of the middle ages. It was a violent time, so it is no surprise that the methods were particularly gruesome. It was used to obtain testimonies and confessions, so it needed to be harsher than everyday life which was already quite harsh. The site offers methods used, instruments used and links to information about specific techniques.
Global Alexa Rating: 928,247
This is an article written by Simon Newman in which a number of torture techniques are explained. He also goes into the some of the reasons and why it was so easily accepted at the time. It was very common for a castle to have a torture chamber which was usually located in the lower levels. It was a very common way to dole out punishment for wrongdoings.
5. Medieval Times & Castles: http://www.medievality.com/torture.html
Global Alexa Rating: 1,003,130
This website is devoted to information about medieval times. It includes medieval history, castles, life in the Middle Ages, medieval warfare, important people, cultures, stories and medieval torture. The torture page includes an introduction and then a listing of the various techniques used during medieval times, most often as punishment. Select each name and you get more information about when that particular method was chosen and how it worked.
Global Alexa Rating: 1,060,499
This is another site that covers information about medieval times. It covers topics such as medieval knights, swords and armor, religion, music, food, crusades, women and famous medieval people. The section on medieval torture and punishment covers such topics as chambers and dungeons and the history of torture, along with the various techniques and equipment used at the time.
7. Just Sick: http://torture.justsickshit.com/torture-in-the-medieval-timessickly/
Global Alexa Rating: 1,266,754
This site covers a variety of “just sick” torture topics including flogging, medieval torture, modern torture, police torture, religious, torture rituals and more. Be warned, some of the topics and discussions are totally “just sick.” If you have a sense of humor about the weird stuff out there in the world, you might want to look at other parts of the Just Sick network. Otherwise, stick to the torture section.
8. History Rundown: http://www.historyrundown.com/10-most-cruel-torture-devices-of-all-time/
Global Alexa Rating: 1,417,219
This link is to an article on the History Rundown site entitled, “10 Most Cruel Torture Devices of All Time.” The article is well written about techniques that were used for punishment and for extracting information. There are a number of hyperlinks inside the article to take you to more information. The site is also a great resource for historical misconceptions and debunked conspiracies.
9. Museum of Medieval Torture Instruments: http://www.tortureamsterdam.com/
Global Alexa Rating: 5,706,082
If you are a real medieval torture enthusiasts, you might just want to plan your next vacation to go to this museum in Amsterdam so you can see some of the instruments used first hand. They have over 100 devices on display that were recreated by pictures and drawings of those used in medieval times for torture for everything from rape to murder.
10. The Justice Campaign: http://thejusticecampaign.org/?page_id=273
Global Alexa Rating: 6,732,153
This link to a section of The Justice Campaign is dedicated to the torture techniques used in Guantanamo. It is included in this list to give you an idea of techniques in use way more recent than the medieval torture methods. While these are far different than those used back then, they can be very effective especially for extracting information from detainees. The article discusses the SERE program designed to train military personnel to withstand torture during an interrogation if they become a POW.
By now you have fulfilled your quest for learning about various torture techniques – both old and new. Torture is still used in many areas of the world, which is a sad statement about mankind. Instilling pain and fear in others rarely produces the intended results, so it is difficult to understand why it is still used as punishment in some countries.
