Suchergebnisse

Steven H. Miles reveals a horrifying, global, yet hidden medical specialty: the torture doctor. Physicians are essential to the modern practice of torture. Their countries employ them to invent techniques to break people down without leaving scars. They falsify death certificates to say that a murdered prisoner died of natural causes, They monitor prisoners being tortured to keep them alive for the next day of pain. Torture doctors work for dictatorships and even democracies such as the United States, United Kingdom, and Spain. Doctors torture with impunity in most cases. With rare exceptions, governments protect them and medical associations and licensing boards leave them alone. This book examines who they are, what they do, and how they escape accountability. It also traces the beginnings of a movement to bring them to justice and recommends ways that the international human rights community can hold these perpetrators accountable. Finally, it shows how physicians can be brought back to their proper role of promoting health and human rights. This is a shocking and little known story that must be revealed

The revelation that the United States was systematically torturing inmates at prisons run by its military and civilian leaders divided the nation and brought deep shame to many. When author Miles, an expert in medical ethics and an advocate for human rights, learned of it, one of his first thoughts was: "Where were the prison doctors while the abuses were taking place?" Here, he explains the answer: not only were doctors, nurses, and medics silent while prisoners were abused; physicians and psychologists provided information that helped determine how much and what kind of mistreatment could be delivered to detainees during interrogation. Additionally, these harsh examinations were monitored by health professionals operating under the purview of the U.S. military. Based on meticulous research and documentations, he tells a story markedly different from the official version, revealing involvement at every level of government. This book will reinvigorate Americans' understanding of why human rights matter.--From publisher description