I think he's suggesting that the US government uses pain up to and including the amount of pain induced by breaking a limb or organ failure to extract information from those it holds without trial. This assertion would seem to be consistent with the official position of the US government. Whether inducing pain equivalent to organ failure to extract information is a violation US or International law is probably a question best answered by the ICC.

> Whether inducing pain equivalent to organ failure to extract information is a violation US or International law is probably a question best answered by the ICC.

No doubt this question has already been answered on numerous occasions with respect to such violations in 3rd world countries and enemies of the US and its allies. However, the US government, for all practical purposes, is above international law.

That's certainly true. If you're being held without trial, you're beyond the help of most technologies and pesky legal restrictions.

No, but they may lie, coerce, and otherwise try to convince you to give up the password without laying a hand on you.

This might not sound so bad on paper, but I personally don't know what I would do when locked in a room with a professional interrogator.

I am totally cool with the FBI lying, coercing and otherwise trying to convince criminals to give up the evidence against themselves, as long as they don't actually break out the wrench.

The idea that you can't be compelled to testify against yourself, present in many western legal systems, is a good one, and is designed to prevent both torture and false imprisonment due to torture-induced false confessions. But that doesn't mean it's not a good thing in those circumstances when a guilty person does incriminate themselves.

How exactly is coercion ok?

These are not criminals we are talking about. These are citizens accused of crimes.

Right. But if they're innocent, then the evidence won't incriminate them.

Heh, that's what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik

Are you seriously pulling a "nothing to hide if you are innocent"? I can't believe this.