Waterboarding

Waterboarding is a torture technique in which water is poured over a restrained person’s face to induce the sensation of drowning. It can cause suffocation, lasting injury, and death.

Drowning: Drowning is respiratory impairment caused by submersion or immersion in liquid. Waterboarding simulates drowning without requiring full-body submersion.
Water cure: The water cure is a historical torture method involving forced ingestion or application of water. The phrase has named several water-based abuses, including practices related to waterboarding.
James Mitchell: James Mitchell is a former U.S. Air Force psychologist who helped design the CIA's post-September 11 interrogation program. He helped develop the interrogation approach that included waterboarding.
Interrogation: Interrogation is the questioning of a person to obtain information or testimony. Waterboarding is a coercive technique used during interrogation, not a form of questioning itself.
United Nations Convention Against Torture: The United Nations Convention Against Torture is a 1984 treaty requiring states to prevent and punish torture. Its definition and obligations frame international legal judgments about waterboarding.
Aspiration: Aspiration is the entry of liquid, food, or other material into the airway or lungs. Water entering the airway can cause injury and impair breathing during waterboarding.
Spanish Inquisition: The Spanish Inquisition was an institution established by the Spanish monarchy in 1478 to enforce religious orthodoxy. Historical accounts associate inquisitorial torture with water-based methods, though techniques varied.
Bruce Jessen: Bruce Jessen is a former U.S. Air Force psychologist who helped design the CIA's post-September 11 interrogation program. He worked with Mitchell on the program's coercive interrogation methods.
Torture: Torture is the intentional infliction of severe physical or mental pain for purposes such as punishment, coercion, or obtaining information. Waterboarding is widely classified as torture under legal and human-rights frameworks.
Common Article 3: Common Article 3 is a provision shared by the four Geneva Conventions that sets minimum protections in non-international armed conflicts. It prohibits cruel treatment and torture of people not actively participating in hostilities.

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Khalid Sheikh MohammedRelated: The CIA used waterboarding on Mohammed; his statements and their admissibility became central legal issues.