UN torture investigator blasts US White House defense of waterboarding
International Herald Tribune reports a controversy on torture methods.
The United Nations' torture investigator blasted the White House for defending the use of waterboarding on Wednesday, and urged the U.S. government to give up its defense of "unjustifiable" interrogation methods. Associated Press in the International Herald Tribune
February 2008

For Soldiers' Families, Battles Are Not Far Off
The New York Times reports on the homecoming of soldiers from Iraq , stressing the challenge for their families and problems of reintegration into their social network. Special attention is given to the duration of the deployment. The longer soldiers are away, it's reported, the more difficult it becomes to return back to normality. Lisa W. Foderaro reports for The New York Times
November 2007

One US soldier's father calls it the silent injury. Now Britain's forces centre is braced for an influx of cases
The Guardian newspaper in the UK reports a new syndrome evidently being experienced by some soldiers after surviving traumatic events in war. The syndrome is called TBI, or Traumatic Brain Injury, and is believed to be caused by blasts. For therapists dealing with veterans of the Iraq war, it is important that this new syndrome be understood as distinct from PTSD or depression, as symptoms can sometimes overlap. Esther Addley and Matthew Taylor report for The Guardian
November 2007

Scar tissue
Trauma seems to be becoming an increasingly common topic of theatre plays in Europe. The Guardian reports for example a play which focuses on two manmade disasters - the Holocaust of the Second World War, and the 1993 genocide in Rwanda. The Guardian reports
November 2007

Hundreds of thousands of women raped for being on the wrong side
In Congo, rape has been a common method of political punishment, widely used against women who happened to be on the wrong side of the long-running war there. A further Guardian article offers an excellent insight into this serious problem.  Chris McGreal reports for The Guardian
November 2007

Uzbekistan: Torture Endemic to Criminal Justice System
Torture is widely used in Uzbekistan, Human Rights Watch reported in November. Although Uzbekistan wants to make its partners believe, that torture has stopped, the Human Rights Watch says torture and ill treatment remain both widespread and unpunished. Human Rights Watch reports
November 2007