Hurt: Notes on Torture in a Modern Democracy

(Paperback)

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A harrowing collection of interviews and articles from a well known democracy activist, illustrating the shocking increase of the use of torture in democracies. Focusing on the history, psychology and current state of torture in the US as well as ideas about prison abolition, anarchism and the role of the media in contemporary society. The little discussed use of torture by the authorities in supposedly democratic states is exposed in this dark and informative text which exposes human rights abuses and thus creates the impetus for change by contributing to the fight for democracy.

Reviews

"For more than a decade Kristian Williams has been poking at the grim underbelly of U.S. politics with unrelenting clarity. In "Hurt: Notes on Torture in a Modern Democracy," Williams levels his attention on a wide range of issues, from torture to prison abolition to anarchism to the role of media in contemporary society. For those willing to engage the complexities and shortcomings of U.S.American democracy--replete with its internal contradictions, marginalized populations, professionalized politics, and yammering classes--Kristian Williams is your guy and "Hurt" is a constructive step forward." --Jules Boykoff, author of "Beyond Bullets: The Suppression of Dissent in the United States"
"As prisoners from Georgia, Ohio, and California decry the torture of long-term isolation and years of brutality, as we mark the 40th anniversary of the Attica Rebellion and remember how New York tortured surviving prison leaders, "Hurt: Notes on Torture in a Modern Democracy" by Kristian Williams is an important contribution to deepening our commitment to ending human rights violations and fighting for a more just world." --Claude Marks, former political prisoner and director of the Freedom Archives (which produced the films Legacy of Torture and Cointelpro 101)
"In these short, engaging, and readable chapters Kristian Williams explores the hurt caused by the state when it chooses to use torture. "Hurt" challenges the modern, democratic states' use of torture as part of challenging the state itself. To challenge the state we have many tasks, reading "Hurt" is the first." --Kevin Van Meter, member, Team Colors Collective

Author Bio

Kristian Williams is an author and journalist whose work has appeared in theColumbia Journalism Review and Counterpunch. His books include Our Enemies in Blue. He lives in Portland, Oregon.