waterboarding

Waterboarding is a coercive interrogation technique in which a person is restrained, typically on a board or stretcher, with a cloth placed over the face. Water is then dripped or poured onto the cloth to create a sensation of suffocation and drowning. The individual experiences an acute respiratory reflex, panic, and an urgent urge to breathe, often leading to vomiting or involuntary movements. Proponents describe it as a means to prevent greater harm, while critics describe it as torture and a risk to physical and mental health.

Under international law, waterboarding is widely regarded as torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The UN Convention Against Torture prohibits acts intended to cause severe pain or suffering, and many national laws ban such techniques. In the early 2000s, various governments employed or authorized waterboarding as part of counterterrorism programs, prompting significant controversy, investigations, and reform. In the United States, subsequent legislation and policy changes constrained or outlawed the practice and prohibited cruel or degrading treatment of detainees; the topic remains a focal point in debates on security and human rights.

Effectiveness is disputed; there is little evidence that information obtained under waterboarding is reliable, and the technique is likely to provoke false confessions. The practice carries substantial risks, including serious physical injury, long-term psychological trauma, and, in some cases, death.