Laura said:
...I don't think anything has ever revealed the French police mentality better than what we went through. One of our attorneys, after reviewing this material (just say we have very good memories...
) was totally shocked. He said "It's an Inquisition! Things like this should not be happening in France!"
I just listened to a TED presentation made by young attorney Karen Tse (Cambodian I believe) who heads an international organization aimed at eliminating torture. She began by pointing out that most torture is used against citizens, not terrorists; and that many torture victims are children as young as 8, who did no more than steal a bicycle!
Her vision and persistence was inspiring. Her approach has been to achieve small, but strategic victories in various countries by rallying members of defense lawyer associations to stand up against prosecutors who accept "confessions" without question. One such lawyer who'd worked 25 years, admitted she'd never had to prepare a case because "all defendants came with signed confessions!"
And for now, Ms. Tse is targeting only those 93 developing countries which have
already enacted laws prohibiting torture--to pressure them into
enforcing their laws. She made the observation that "oppressive" countries strip away rights, which provoke the citizens into demanding--and getting--more justice. In contrast, "democratic" countries guarantee rights, which lulls citizens into permitting their legal rights to be stripped away.
She contended that torture was used so routinely because it was extremely economical compared to conducting proper investigations! While that's psychopathic enough in itself, unfortunately, Ms. Tse, like so many other well-meaning activists, doesn't seem to realize the core problem is the dominance of psychopaths throughout society.
So's every skunk in the country!
