kínzás

Kínzás is the Hungarian term for torture. In international human rights law, torture is the intentional infliction of severe physical or mental pain for purposes such as coercion, punishment, or intimidation, carried out by state authorities or their agents. It covers both explicit physical abuse and severe psychological harm and applies regardless of the victim’s status or outcome. It is distinct from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, which is unlawful but not always classified as torture.

Legal status: International norms prohibit torture under all circumstances. The UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment obligates states to criminalize torture, investigate allegations, and provide redress. The prohibition is non-derogable, meaning it cannot be suspended even in emergencies. Regional human rights instruments and many national constitutions reinforce this ban, though enforcement varies.

Forms include physical methods such as beatings, burns, electric shocks, suffocation, and injury-causing restraint; and psychological methods such as prolonged isolation, sleep deprivation, threats, or mock executions. Sexual violence, forced exposure to extreme conditions, and enforced disappearances also occur in some contexts. Some practices mimic drowning or asphyxiation and have drawn condemnation. Torture can be carried out directly by officials or by others acting under state control or acquiescence.

Impact and response: Torture causes lasting physical and psychological harm and often yields unreliable information, undermining justice. International bodies, courts, and human rights organizations document abuses, advocate prevention and accountability, and support victims’ rehabilitation. Despite broad condemnation, reports persist in conflict zones, prisons, and areas where the rule of law is weak.