Words are not defined by treaties, they are defined by their use. People who have a bias against brutalising prisoners tend to call waterboarding, et al, tortur

Words are not defined by treaties, they are defined by their use. People who have a bias against brutalising prisoners tend to call waterboarding, et al, torture, regardless of what a treaty says. Aside from that, you're misrepresenting how the torture was designed. The way they defanged the Geneva Convention was not by making sure their interrogations were not torturous, but by interpreting it such that the victims were not subject to the protections of the convention. Additionally, the convention doesn't define torture. So there's that. But yes, the Guardian is known for being biased against torture.