Original author: Don Butler, CanWest News Service
Source: The National Post
URL: [link]
Date: October 19, 2006

OTTAWA - One-fifth of Canadians and more than a third of Americans think governments should be allowed to use torture if doing so could extract information that saves innocent lives from terrorists, says a new poll.

Overall, though, a solid majority of people around the world oppose the use of torture under any circumstances, according to the poll, done by GlobeScan for the BBC.The survey found that 59 per cent of people worldwide agree that clear rules against torture should be maintained because any use of torture is immoral and will weaken international human rights standards.

In Canada, 74 per cent of respondents oppose any use of torture. Among the 25 countries surveyed, only the Italians, French and Australians more strongly oppose it.

Still, 22 per cent of Canadians think terrorism poses such an extreme threat that governments should be allowed to use some degree of torture if doing so could save lives.

The survey found there is more tolerance for the use of torture in countries that have suffered terrorist attacks or political violence.

In the United States, for instance, fully 36 per cent think the use of torture is justified in some circumstances one of the highest levels in the world. Fifty-eight per cent of Americans are opposed.

Israelis express the greatest support for torture, with 43 per cent endorsing the practice, though 48 per cent think it should be prohibited. Roughly four in 10 also support the use of torture in Iraq, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, China and Russia.

India is the only nation where more respondents favour allowing some degree of torture. Thirty-two per cent say it is sometimes permissible, while just 23 per cent are opposed. Nearly half of Indians favour neither position or didn't respond.

Men are more likely than women to accept some use of torture, and support for a ban on the practice increases slightly with age.

GlobeScan surveyed more than 27,000 people between late May and early June of this year. The margin of error per country ranges from plus or minus 2.5 percentage points to four percentage points, 19 times in 20. The poll did not attempt to define torture, which of course, is a subjective concept.

Ottawa Citizen
© CanWest News Service 2006