Whilst reading an article on The Economist, "Is Torture Ever Justified?", my mind went right away to our phenomenal, yet controversial '24' hero, Jack Bauer. A fictional character that has mesmerized millions of viewers across the globe. A man with nine lives, as I always call him, because no matter how hard he has been tortured by his enemies, he is somehow still alive, maybe forever, until the producer (in this case, Kiefer Sutherland himself) does not feel like filming another season of '24' anymore.
Yet, this is not about Jack Bauer being tortured. It is the other way around. If you are a '24' addict, like myself (or at least I used to be), you must have noticed how many times Jack has heartlessly used torture techniques to extract information from his enemies, even to his own brother in the latest sixth season. Did he ever manage to get the information that could save thousands of lives? Most of the time yes, simply because he's Jack Bauer. But, in the real world, is any form of torture legal? The answer according to that article is NO!
Apparently, the international treaties such as the Geneva Conventions, the UN Convention against Torture and the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights ban on torture or any cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, even in times of war. This may remind us of the scandal of Abu Ghraib in Iraq about a year or so ago, which resulted in the verdicts for the US armies who got involved. If only Jack lived in a real world, he would be spending years in the Guantanamo Bay.
More interestingly, in the last year's BBC survey, over 40% Israelis and Iraqis allow a certain degree of torture, whilst the majority of Europeans are against all torture. The real question is whether torture is the most efficient way to extract invaluable information? Can it be justified at all, considering people will say anything to stop the pain and the interrogator always runs a risk of getting unreliable information anyway? I believe the answer is still no, even six years after the deadly 911, the treaties are still unchanged.
2 comments:
Jack Bauer steals lives from other people. The closer you are to Jack, the higher the probability he does that.
Look at all his partners and families. James Heller's instruction to Jack to stay away from Audrey was a right one! As well as Kim's decision to let go his dad. Chloe needs to be super careful... Poor Jack...
I can't wait for season seven... Bauer rocks! Now we're talking! :D
Ahahaha... can't stop laughing. Never thought about that before, and you're politically correct here! Chloe is my fave character in the movie. Bluntly cold and straightforward! I think Jack needs her as long as he is alive. Who was in the CTU that Jack called first after he was freed from China? It's Chloe. And of course, he was asking for her technical help.
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