Torture

The BBC's Mike Sergeant writes:

People rarely talk openly about torture in Lebanon; even the victims are reluctant to speak out, much less seek treatment.

But a new centre in Beirut is trying to help those who have suffered at the hands of vicious interrogators and ruthless prison guards.

The centre has only been open a few months, but the specialists employed here say they are already seeing positive results.

Lebanon signed up to an international convention against torture in 2000, and in recent years legislation has given victims greater legal protection.

But according to human rights organisations, forms of torture are still widely practised.