Denailing is the extraction of the nails from the fingers and/or toes, either as an accident, a medical procedure to treat severe nail infections, or as a method of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

Health consequences

Removed nails are capable of growing back normally over several months if the nail matrix is left intact through surgical extraction. However, if the matrix is damaged by trauma, it can result in an overgrowth of tissue from the proximal nail fold, resulting in the formation of pterygium. Particularly, if the nail matrix is burnt by a heated instrument, subsequent growth may produce nails which are striped, thin, or broken into longitudinal segments.

History of use as torture

The United Nations Istanbul Protocol describes nail removal and the insertion of objects such as wire under the nail as forms of torture. In the aftermath of Italy's republican referendum after World War II, efforts to prosecute former officials in the Fascist government for

collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...

and

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

resulted in the legal differentiation between the concepts of normal brutality, cruel brutality, and ''particularly cruel brutality''. Only in the case of particularly cruel brutality would the accused be rejected for amnesty. Denailing was generally considered to fall under the first two categories, as for a brutality to be considered ''particularly cruel'', it had to "horrify even those who are familiar with torture."

Modern use

Venezuela

Venezuelan activist has been subject to denailing while in detention, starting in 2018, among other torture methods. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

documented that senior lieutenant Franklin Caldera, detained on 2019 during the

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

administration, was subjected to several methods of torture, including cutting and insertion of needles under his fingernails. On 3 November 2022, pro-government colectivos attacked and denailed four female students of the University of the Andes that were protesting against the visit in

Mérida state Mérida or Merida may refer to: Places * Mérida (state), one of the 23 states which make up Venezuela * Mérida, Mérida, the capital city of the state of Mérida, Venezuela * Merida, Leyte, Philippines, a municipality in the province of Leyte ...

Diosdado Cabello Diosdado Cabello Rondón (born 15 April 1963Vicepresidencia de la República Bolivariana de VenezuelaDiosdado Cabello Rondón, accessed 19 April 2010) is a Venezuelan politician who currently serves as Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace s ...

, vice-president of the

United Socialist Party of Venezuela The United Socialist Party of Venezuela (, PSUV, ) is a Socialism, socialist political party which has been the ruling party of Venezuela since 2007. It was formed from a merger of some of the political and social forces that support the Bolivar ...

(PSUV).

Nicaragua

Under the

Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; ; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan politician and dictator who has been the president of Nicaragua, co-president of Nicaragua since 18 February 2025, alongside his wife Rosario Murillo. He was the 54th an ...

administration, political prisoners in

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

have been subjected to torture, including denailing.

In film

Some films have denailing scenes: * '' Closet Land'', 1991 * ''

Syriana ''Syriana'' is a 2005 American political thriller film written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, loosely based on Robert Baer's 2003 memoir '' See No Evil''. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wr ...

'', 2005 * ''The Wind That Shakes the Barley'', 2006 * ''

District 9 ''District 9'' is a 2009 science fiction action film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zealand ...

'', 2009 * '' The Gray Man'', 2022 * '' Pathaan'', 2023 * ''Viduthalai - Part 1'', 2023 * Bad Boys: Ride or Die, 2024 *

Novocaine (2025 film) ''Novocaine'' (known as ''Mr. No Pain'' in some regions and ''Novocaine No Pain'' in Australia) is a 2025 American action comedy film directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and written by Lars Jacobson. The film stars Jack Quaid, Amber Midthund ...

2025

References

{{Reflist Nails (anatomy) Torture