Editing Torture (section)

== Methods ==
{{Main|List of methods of torture}}
[[File:Taser Stoper C-2 img 2864.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|[[Electroshock weapon]]s are preferred by some torturers because they have legitimate uses and do not leave marks.{{sfn|Rejali|2009|pp=425, 443}}]]
A wide variety of techniques have been used for torture.{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|p=410}} Nevertheless, there are limited ways of inflicting pain while minimizing the risk of death.{{sfn|Einolf|2007|p=103}}{{sfn|Milewski ''et al.''|2023}} Survivors report that the exact method used is not significant.{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2016|p=110}} Most forms of torture include both physical and psychological elements{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2020|p=432}}{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2016|p=8}} and multiple methods are typically used on one person.{{sfn|Rejali|2009|p=421}}{{sfn|Milewski ''et al.''|2023}} Different methods of torture are popular in different countries.{{sfn|Rejali|2009|p=420}}{{sfn|Milewski ''et al.''|2023}} Low-tech methods are more commonly used than high-tech ones, and attempts to develop scientifically validated torture technology have failed.{{sfn|Rejali|2009|pp=440–441}} The [[#Prohibition of torture|prohibition of torture]] motivated a shift to methods that do not leave marks to aid in deniability and to deprive victims of legal redress.{{sfn|Rejali|2009|p=443}}{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2016|p=xix}} As they faced more pressure and scrutiny, democracies led the innovation in clean torture practices in the early twentieth century; such techniques diffused worldwide by the 1960s.{{sfn|Rejali|2020|p=73}}{{sfn|Evans|2020|loc=History of Torture}} Patterns of torture differ based on a torturer's time limits—for example, resulting from legal limits on pre-trial detention.{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2016|pp=271–272}}

Beatings or [[blunt trauma]] are the most common form of physical torture{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|p=413}}{{sfn|Milewski ''et al.''|2023|loc=eFigure 3}} reported by about two-thirds of survivors.{{sfn|Milewski ''et al.''|2023|loc=eFigure 3}} They may be either unsystematic{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|p=411}} or focused on a specific part of the body, as in [[Foot whipping|falanga]] (the [[soles of the feet]]), repeated strikes against both ears, or shaking the detainee so that their head moves back and forth.{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|pp=413–414}} Often, people are suspended in painful positions such as [[strappado]] or [[upside-down hanging]] in combination with beatings.{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|pp=414–415}} People may also be subjected to stabbings or [[puncture wound]]s, have their [[Denailing|nails removed]], or body parts [[amputated]].{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|pp=418–419}} Burns are also common, especially [[cigarette burns]], but other instruments are also employed, including hot metal, hot fluids, the sun, or [[Chemical burn|acid]].{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|pp=421–422}} Forced ingestion of [[Water cure (torture)|water]], [[force feeding|food]], or other substances, or injections are also used as torture.{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|p=423}} [[Electric shocks]] are often used to torture, especially to avoid other methods that are more likely to leave scars.{{sfn|Einolf|2007|pp=103–104}} [[Asphyxiation]], of which [[waterboarding]] is a form, inflicts torture on the victim by cutting off their air supply.{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|pp=418–419}}

Psychological torture includes methods that involve no physical element as well as forcing a person to do something and physical attacks that ultimately target the mind.{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2020|p=432}} [[Death threat]]s, [[mock execution]], or being forced to witness the torture of another person are often reported to be subjectively worse than being physically tortured and are associated with severe [[sequelae]].{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|pp=426–427}} Other torture techniques include [[sleep deprivation]], overcrowding or [[solitary confinement]], withholding of food or water, [[sensory deprivation]] (such as [[hooding]]), exposure to extremes of light or noise (e.g., [[musical torture]]),{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|pp=424–425}} humiliation (which can be based on sexuality or the victim's religious or national identity),{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2020|p=114}} and the use of animals such as dogs to frighten or injure a prisoner.{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2020|pp=163, 333}}{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|p=420}} [[Positional torture]] works by forcing the person to adopt a stance, putting their weight on a few muscles, causing pain without leaving marks, for example standing or squatting for extended periods.{{sfn|Quiroga|Modvig|2020|pp=415–416}} Rape and [[sexual assault]] are universal torture methods and frequently instill a permanent sense of shame in the victim and in some cultures, humiliate their family and society.{{sfn|Hajjar|2013|p=52}}{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2020|pp=79, 115, 165}} Cultural and individual differences affect how the victim perceives different torture methods.{{sfn|Pérez-Sales|2020|pp=86–88}}