This article is about the torture method. For other uses of "sweatbox", see
Sweatbox (disambiguation).
The box, also known as a hot box or sweatbox, is a method of
solitary confinement used in
humid and
arid regions as a method of
punishment. Anyone placed in one would experience
extreme heat,
dehydration,
heat exhaustion, or even
death, depending on when and how long one was kept in the box. Another variation of this punishment is known as sweating, the use of a heated room to punish or coerce a person into cooperating with the torturers.
Use
The technique was used by
prisons in the
Southern United States until late in the 19th century and as punishment during times of slavery.[1]
The
CIA claims that the
Chinese government has used "extreme heat" and "sweating" against
dissidents.[4]
Use of a "sweatbox" has also been reported as a method of punishment in North Korean concentration camps, notably in
Kang Chol-hwan's book The Aquariums of Pyongyang.
In 2008, it was revealed that the
U.S. military was detaining
Iraqi prisoners in wooden crates, arousing concern of their use as hotboxes.[5]
^Torture in Detention Centres and Labour CampsArchived 27 March 2006 at the
Wayback Machine. "China in Tibet – Striking Hard Against Human Rights", 1997 Annual Report, Human Rights Violations In Tibet. Tibetan Centre For Human Rights And Democracy, 4 February 1998. Accessed 10 June 2009.