Geneva.— The reaction of the United States and its allies —after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks— of intensifying torture during investigations, has been a negative influence on the rest of the world, said the UN special relater on torture, Manfred Nowak.

"Many countries thought that if the United States used torture during interrogations and detentions, why wouldn’t we act alike?", said Nowak during a press conference in Geneva, where he made a report on his five-year-term of office.

Nowak noted the contradiction between the fact that the United States is seen as "the creator of human rights", while he added: "Everybody knew that the United States— George W. Bush’s administration at that time— employed torture, despite its denials."

Likewise, Nowak made reference to the most used torture procedures in recent years, among which he mentioned the sleep alterations which were carried out in the detention center for terrorism suspects in the US military base of Guantanamo, where prisoners were woken up every 15 minutes.

Nowak said that the main motives for the use of torture are to get a confession which can later be used in court.