By KUNA,
London : An advertisement designed to shock viewers with the reality of an interrogation technique used by the United States was launched by the human rights group Amnesty International here Tuesday.
The first few seconds of Amnestys advertisement leads the audience to believe they are watching a glossy campaign for a mineral water, but it then becomes clear that a man is being subjected to “waterboarding”, which involves partially drowning prisoners by pouring water down their throat and nose.
Amnesty and other human rights campaigners believe the method is a form of torture, but US authorities describe it as “enhanced interrogation,” the human rights group said in a statement.
The film will be seen by cinema-goers from next month, the organisation added.
Amnesty’s UK director Miss Kate Allen said “Our film shows you what the CIA doesn’t want you to see, the disgusting reality of half-drowning a person then calling it enhanced interrogation.” “For a few seconds our film-makers did this for real, they poured water up the nose and into the mouth of someone who was pinned down with his head tilted back.
Even for those few seconds, it’s horrifying to watch, the reality, in a secret prison with no-one to stop it, is much, much worse,” Miss Allen added.
“Everyone who sees this terrifying film ought to take action to stop it happening in the real world,” she said.
Despite growing concern about waterboarding and other techniques, US President George W Bush vetoed a bill that would have outlawed such “enhanced interrogation” techniques.