Knee-capping
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Knee-capping is a form of malicious wounding used to punish enemies, or as a drastic form of torture. They injure the victim in the knee, especially by shooting. One common method is to shoot through the back of the knee, which bursts the kneecap completely off the leg[citation needed]. This generally cripples the person for life. This practice was common amongst paramilitaries in Italy and Northern Ireland.
Following the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation during the Second World War there were cases, as recorded on film, of those who had collaborated with the invaders being knee-capped by their neighbours by the repeated hitting of the front of the knee with hammers.
Another such instance of knee-capping, as has been used in novels, involves restraining the victim (usually with two people; one sitting across the victim's legs), and then using a hand-drill to drill into the side of their kneecap.[citation needed] This then, supposedly, causes the kneecap to shatter. This causes great pain and is practically impossible to remedy, as it is difficult to remove all of the shattered bone.
Experimentation by East Timorese militants has produced new forms of knee-capping, usually involving the use of commercially available power tools (such as circular saws, electric drills, and nail guns). Some of the methods used are to use the circular saw to produce a clean slice through the bone, and split it in two. Other methods, usually used during interrogation to extract information, is with the use of a nail gun and repeatedly firing, and lodging nails in the bone, to cause extreme pain. Allegedly, the bone will shatter under the stress of the nails.
The term knee-capping is often used as a metaphor to label political criticism as an "attack".
[edit] See also
- hamstringing - prevents walking
- necklacing - generally fatal
