Torture Tools For Sale to Nicest Bidder

Collection of medieval flesh-rippers to be sold to aid human rights organizations

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 16, 2009 12:02 PM CDT

(Newser) – A huge collection of medieval tongue tearers, thumbscrews, and assorted flesh-rippers is hitting the auction block soon, but ghouls and dictators won't be welcome bidders, the Los Angeles Times reports. The owner—moved to sell the inherited collection by the debate on Bush-era harsh interrogation—is keen to ensure it goes to a responsible owner and plans to give some of the proceeds to Amnesty International and other rights groups.

The anonymous seller hopes the collection will end up being exhibited as a reminder of the gruesome nature of torture, whether it be in the 16th century or the 21st. "It made perfect sense that you turn something terrible into something good," said the director of Guernsey's auction house. He believes the collection—each piece of which was used in the Holy Roman Empire—will fetch around $3 million, although there are few precedents for the sale of antique torture tools.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (1)]

The collection to be sold includes iron masks, a body rack with thumb screws, and a spiked chair. (Flickr)

Medieval thumbscrews on display in a Belgian castle. (Flickr)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

We think that the conversation around this and the money being generated will certainly help tell the story of why torture is wrong, and why the US government should not be involved in torture. - Amnesty director Timothy Higdon

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Libyan Detainees Tortured to Death: Amnesty

Doctors Without Borders suspends work over 'exploitation'

(NEWSER) - Some of Libya's reported 8,500 detainees have died following torture, says Amnesty International, citing patients with open head, limb, and back wounds. "The torture is being carried out by officially recognized military and security entities as well as by a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework," a rep for the activist group tells the BBC . Doctors Without Borders is suspending its work in Misrata over concerns that it's being "exploited" by interrogators. More»

Syrian Hospitals Torturing Protesters: Amnesty

Amnesty International says security forces running free in state-run facilities

(NEWSER) - Wounded Syrian protesters would be well-advised to avoid state-run hospitals—because security forces and medical staff are torturing people within them, Amnesty International alleges in a new report. “Syrian authorities seem to have given the security forces a free rein in hospitals,” one Amnesty researcher said, according to the Guardian . “In many cases hospital staff appear to have taken part in the torture and ill treatment of the very people they are supposed to care for.” More»

Amnesty International to Canada: Bust Bush

Canada to Amnesty: No way, eh

(NEWSER) - George W. Bush is visiting Canada next week and international law requires the country to arrest him for torture and war crimes ... according to Amnesty International. The group has sent a thousand-page memorandum to Canadian authorities explaining why the former president should be behind bars, Politico reports. Bush's own memoirs detail how he authorized the use of torture on terror suspects, Amnesty Canada's secretary-general says. More»

Kids Among 88 Tortured and Killed in Syrian Prisons

Along with 78 others

(NEWSER) - At least 88 people have been tortured and killed in Syrian detention centers over the past five months, including 10 children, according to a new report from Amnesty International. Victims were burned, beaten, and electrocuted, among other abuses, the report alleges. “These deaths behind bars are reaching massive proportions,” Neil Sammonds, the group’s researcher in Syria, tells the BBC . More»

Dickens' Dog's Collar Fetches $12K

Victorian pet wear sells double great expectations

(NEWSER) - A dog collar sported by one of Charles Dickens' dogs fetched $11,590 at auction yesterday, outstripping sellers' greatest expectations. The leather and brass collar is inscribed with the author's name and London address. An ivory-and-gold toothpick that once belonged to Dickens sold for $9,150 at auction last year, AP reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Torture Tools For Sale to Nicest Bidder