Psychological torture

[1] The text of the Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1984[2] and following ratification by the 20th state party, it came into force on 26 June 1987.

The Committee Against Torture (CAT) is a body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention by State parties.

The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of "concluding observations".

A contemporary definition of psychological torture are those processes that "involve attacking or manipulating the inputs and processes of the conscious mind that allow the person to stay oriented in the surrounding world, retain control and have the adequate conditions to judge, understand and freely make decisions which are the essential constitutive ingredients of an unharmed self".

[7] Medical participation in torture has taken place throughout the world and was a prominent feature of the US interrogation practice in military and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) facilities.

[8][9] The United States made extensive use of psychological torture techniques at Guantanamo Bay and other sites subsequent to the 9/11 attacks.