ABSTRACT
Regrettably, abuse of human rights is so widespread on a global scale that some reference must now be made in forensic pathology texts to the physical manifestations of torture. According to Amnesty International, torture of one kind or another was practised in one-third of the member states of the United Nations, in spite of them being signatories to United Nations resolutions banning these atrocities.1 Their worldwide Report in 2012 recounted specific restrictions on free speech in at least 91 countries as well as cases of people tortured or otherwise ill-treated in at least 101 countries.2
