Waterboarding has become controversial for its use as a War on Terror interrogation tactic. Waterboarding is a form of torture in which a bound, gagged prisoner is forced to breathe in water. There are several techniques: a prisoner is strapped to a board, or submerged, or held down and forced to breathe through a water-soaked cloth held over his mouth. All waterboarding produces the physical sensation of drowning and a psychological sensation of panic, fear and loss of control.
Waterboarding originates in medieval Europe. It reappeared in the news in 2005, when it was revealed that the CIA had authorized six "enhanced interrogation techniques" for use against Al Qaeda and other terrorist suspects. The other five techniques were versions of either slapping prisoners, or keeping them cold.
Torture, including waterboarding, is explicitly prohibited in Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. The Detainee Treatment Act, which was passed by Congress in 2006, says that no individual in U.S. custody will be subject to cruel or inhuman punishment. However, the act also protects any U.S. government personnel who may have committed unlawful acts in the pursuit of "international terrorist activity," as long as they believed it was legal.
Waterboarding was again a news item in October 2006, when American Vice President Cheney appeared to have endorsed waterboarding in a talk-radio interview. The interviewer, Scott Hennen, asked the Vice President, "Would you agree that a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?" Vice President Cheney responded, "Well, it's a no-brainer for me."
Below, some depictions of waterboarding in video. (Please note, these are disturbing to watch.)
