Amnesty International released a new survey report which reveals that fear of torture in the event of arrest and detention by the authorities exists in all countries.

The results for our country are alarming as, according to the report, 57% of Greeks fear that they may be tortured by the police if they get arrested and detained by police.

Also disappointing are the results for the other countries, with 44% of the respondents saying they believe that they will suffer some form of torture in the event of arrest and detention by the authorities.

Of course, the percentage of the people that fear police torture varies by country. In Britain, Australia and Canada more than 75% of respondents said they would feel safe from torture if taken into custody in the country. The exact opposite is true for respondents in Latin America.

The lack of a clear legal framework for torture in the event of detention or imprisonment was noted by a high percentage of respondents. In regards to Greece, 80% of the people polled said that the legal framework for torture should be more clear.

87% of Greeks believe that torture during detention or imprisonment cannot by justified, while on an international level 36% of the people polled believe torture can be justified in certain circumstances!

Amnesty International states in its report that in some countries torture is a common practice and occurs daily, while in others torture occurs only occasionally.

The organization’s global work against torture continues, but will focus in particular on five countries where torture is rife and Amnesty International believes it can achieve significant impact.

1. Mexico, where abuse by police and security forces is widespread and goes unpunished, although government argues that torture is the exception rather than the norm.

2. Philippines, where a secret detention facility was recently discovered where police officers abused detainees ‘for fun’.

3. Morocco and Western Sahara, where the authorities rarely investigate reports of torture.

4. Nigeria, where police and military personnel use torture as a matter of routine.

5. Uzbekistan, where torture is pervasive but few torturers are ever brought to justice.

Torture includes several techniques – from stress positions and sleep deprivation to electrocution of the genitals – and in most cases it is used against criminal suspects, security suspects, dissenting voices, political rivals and others.