News In Brief

Greece outlaws torture, a first in nations' codes

The Greek Parliament, many of whose members suffered brutality under the country's former military dictatorship, unanimously passed a law Tuesday outlawing torture and setting jail terms for offenders.

Government officials said the law - under which torturers can go to prison for life if the victim dies, and for 20 years if he survives - made Greece the first country in the world to include a specific ban on torture in its penal code.