I AM sure that many readers of this newspaper will have seen the recent release of Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."

Whatever their views on the merits of the film, I am sure they will have been startled by the brutality of the torturing of Jesus portrayed in the movie.

I would like to remind the readers that such examples of torture are not merely a thing of the past, but that they sadly are still widespread throughout the world today, over 2,000 years since the death of Jesus.

Between the years of 1997 and 2000, Amnesty International received reports of torture or ill treatment in over 150 countries. In over 80 of these countries, methods of torture such as electrocution, suffocation, sexual assault and more rarely flogging and amputations are still prevalent.

Hopefully the shocking barbaric imagery of the Mel Gibson film, and the realisation that such cruel treatment endures, will inspire readers to make a contribution to stamp out torture in its many forms throughout the world.

MATTHEW EGAN, Rossendale and Hyndburn Amnesty International Group, Bury Road, Rawtenstall.