Sixty years ago this year the UN General Assembly accepted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and in doing so stated that "No one shall be subjected to torture." Sadly, 60 years later, that promise goes unheeded and the shameful practice continues in many countries — including the United States — or perhaps it would be more correct to say not in the US the proper, but in Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, etc.

But if governments continue the practice of torture, the notion is rejected by an overwhelming majority of the world's population. A public opinion poll carried out in 19 nations found that in 14 of the nations polled, most people favour an unequivocal rule against torture, even in cases involving terrorists who might be in possession of information that could save innocent lives. 

However, four nations favour an exception in the case of terrorists. Yet those are truly a minority, representing less than one in five.

The poll conducted by www.worldpublicopinion.org — a collaborative project involving a worldwide network of research centers under the management of the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland. This study includes the opinion of most of the world' largest nations — China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia — as well as Mexico, Britain, France, Poland, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, the Palestinian territories, Spain, Thailand and South Korea. 

A thin majority — 57 per cent — were said to be in favour of having "unequivocal rules against torture." When terrorism is concerned a large percentage — 35 per cent — favour an exception to extract information which could save innocent lives. Of course, part of the dilemma is to correctly establish that the suspect in custody is a) indeed a terrorist, and b) that the suspect is in possession of genuine information.

As was demonstrated in a recent film titled "Rendition," in which a long-time US resident and Green Card holder of Egyptian origin is mistaken for a terrorist believed to be in possession of important information, mistakes do happen. After being secretly flown out of the United States for a Middle Eastern country where he undergoes systematic torture, including electric shocks, and the now infamous water boarding. He finally "admits" to the accusations and gives his torturers what they want: a list of names....

Except that he does not have any names of terrorists to give. So he writes down the names of members of his old soccer team in Cairo. Anything to get the torture to stop.

Back in the real world the World Public Opinion Poll showed that only 9 per cent favour the government being able to use torture in general.  The countries which voted in favour of banning torture except for terrorists when innocent lives are at risk include majorities in India (59 per cent), Nigeria (54 per cent), and Turkey (51 per cent), and a plurality in Thailand (44 per cent).    Support for the unequivocal position was highest in Spain, Great Britain and France, each with 82 per cent), followed by Mexico (73 per cent), China (66 per cent), the Palestinian territories (66 per cent), Poland (62 per cent), Indonesia (61 per cent), and the Ukraine (59 per cent).  

Only five of the 19 countries support a ban on all torture: Azerbaijan (54 per cent), Egypt (54 per cent), the United States (53 per cent), Russia (49 per cent), and Iran (43 percent). South Koreans are divided.

Amid the controversy that came to light over the use of torture by US intelligence agents on captured terrorists, the State of the World Report for 2007 issued by Amnesty International documents "numerous cases of torture by governments around the world."

Amnesty classifies that category to include cases where governments actively use torture as well as cases where governments have failed to take action against police or other officials who have used torture.   "The idea that torture by governments is basically wrong is widely shared in all corners of the world," comments Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org. Adds Kull: "Further, since such a scenario is exceedingly rare, this poll suggests that virtually all torture used by governments is at odds with the will of the people." But for the governments to listen to the voice of people is altogether another matter.

Claude Salhani is editor of the Middle East Times and a political analyst in Washington, DC.