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Indians favour torturing terrorists, says report

June 24, 2008 21:40 IST
A majority of people in India feel that use of torture on terrorists is justified if it could help save innocent lives, a new survey of 19 nations shows.
    
India bucks the trend in the poll, which saw most people favouring an unequivocal rule against torture, even in the case of terrorists who have information that could save lives of innocent people.
    
But four nations, including India, lean toward favouring an exception in the case of terrorists, according tothe WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 19,063 respondents, released ahead of the International Victims of Torture Day on June 26.
    
Majorities in India (59 per cent), Nigeria (54 per cent), and Turkey (51 per cent), and a plurality in Thailand (44 per cent) want an exception for terrorists.
    
India,
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the survey shows, has the largest number sayingthat torture should be allowed on terrorists, as well as the lowest support for unequivocal rules against torture.
    
Among all nations polled in both 2006 and 2008, India also has the largest increase in support of making exceptions for torture in the case of terrorism -- from 32 per cent two years ago to 59 per cent now.
    
India has 12 per cent that believe torture should generally be allowed, while 28 per cent overall say that all torture should be prohibited.
    
The number of those that reject torture totally has also risen from 23 per cent in 2006 to 28 per cent. In 2006, 28 percent of Indians gave an answer of "neither" or "depends" on this question.
Sridhar Krishnaswami in Washington
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