Section 2340A of Title 18, United States Code, prohibits
torture committed
by public officials under color of law against persons within the
public
official's custody or control. Torture is defined to include acts
specifically
intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering.
(It does not
include such pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions.) The
statute
applies only to acts of torture committed outside the United
States. There is
Federal extraterritorial jurisdiction over such acts whenever the
perpetrator is
a national of the United States or the alleged offender is found
within the
United States, irrespective of the nationality of the victim or the
alleged
offender.