More than one-third of French adults now support the use of torture in "exceptional circumstances" against terror suspects, according to a poll commissioned by the French human rights group Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture. The poll of 1,500 people, conducted by the private firm Institut Francais d'Opinion Publique (IFOP) in April, showed a significant rise in public acceptance of torture compared to a similar poll conducted by Amnesty International in France in 2000, when only 25 percent responded similarly.
The survey was taken several weeks after the March 22 terror attacks in Brussels that killed 32 people at an airport and train station, and less than six months after the massive, coordinated bombings and shootings in Paris last November that killed 141 people and wounded hundreds more. The survey was reported by Reuters Tuesday. An official at ACAT in Paris said the poll was conducted via the Internet. Officials of IFOP could not be immediately reached.
The poll found that more than half of respondents would accept electric shocks being administered to someone suspected of having planted a live bomb and 45 percent agreed that torture is an efficient method of obtaining reliable information that can prevent terror attacks. It also found that 18 percent could envision themselves torturing someone, and that the level rose to 40 percent among respondents who identified themselves as supporting the far-right National Front party.
Gee, I wonder why?
The survey was taken several weeks after the March 22 terror attacks in Brussels that killed 32 people at an airport and train station, and less than six months after the massive, coordinated bombings and shootings in Paris last November that killed 141 people and wounded hundreds more. The survey was reported by Reuters Tuesday. An official at ACAT in Paris said the poll was conducted via the Internet. Officials of IFOP could not be immediately reached.
The poll found that more than half of respondents would accept electric shocks being administered to someone suspected of having planted a live bomb and 45 percent agreed that torture is an efficient method of obtaining reliable information that can prevent terror attacks. It also found that 18 percent could envision themselves torturing someone, and that the level rose to 40 percent among respondents who identified themselves as supporting the far-right National Front party.
Gee, I wonder why?
