Coercive interrogations in Lebanon. Major causes and effective mechanisms to fight torture

Master's Thesis from the year 2019 in the subject Law - Criminal process, Criminology, Law Enforcement, grade: A, Indiana University (Robert H. Mckinney School of Law), language: English, abstract: Coercive interrogation as a form of torture is universally condemned, and no country publicly supports it, yet states are applying it in practice. This shows that governments are aware of its illegality but still apply it in their governmental systems because they believe in its effectiveness. This application is done either in a secretive, illegal way, or in a public, legal way, caused by law gaps allowing states to interpret relevant laws to their advantage. Accordingly, the problem faced is not with the criminalization or illegality of coercive interrogation, but rather with the way it has been criminalized and enforced; therefore, a deep study of the relevant Lebanese laws, whether international or national, is necessary to ensure full applicability and to prevent governmental circumventing of the law as much as possible. The current research aims to identify the challenges faced by Lebanon with regard to legal and enforcement implementation of coercive interrogation, identify major causes, and propose effective mechanisms to fight torture in Lebanon in light of the present situation.