Abstract

In accordance with the Christian understanding ofhuman dignity, torture can be considered as a Iegitimale ethical alternative only if it does not serve as punishment or intend to elicit a juridical confession but rather intends to rescue actually threatened human life. However, the indirect relation between torture and potential rescue creates an unavoidable uncertainty ofknowing and deciding. This is the most important difference between torture on the one hand and both self-defence and self-defence by proxy on the other. And precisely this difference excludes any ethical justification of torture. Who nevertheless- for ethical reasons- in a situation of serious conflict decides to command ortoperform torture must at least accept the juridical consequences of his or her decision.