Jew have been tortured by numerous people throughout history. Probably the most prolific torturers were Josef Mengele (a doctor who performed inhumane medical experiments on Jews during the Holocaust) and Tomás de Torquemada (a Catholic Cardinal who led the Spanish Inquisition and tortured Jews with horrible physical contraptions meant to cause immeasurable pain).
The people persecuted in the Spanish Inquisition were "New Christians", which is to say Jews and Muslims who converted to Christianity in order to continue living in Spain (since Judaism and Islam were banned), but who were believed to be secretly practicing their faith of birth. Hundreds of thousands of Jews and Muslims who converted to Christianity were persecuted. Later, the Spanish Inquisition also persecuted Protestant reformers.
The estimation of the number of lives lost during the Spanish Inquisition is somewhere around 150,000. However, the numbers may have actually been much higher. Suprema records only give information prior to 1560. For a thorough study to be done, it would be necessary to also include information from local tribunals. However, due to wars and time, many of these documents have been lost or destroyed.
Not everyone who was not Christian was tortured. Jews were not usually tortured, though they were often abused. Muslims were also not usually tortured. There were times when pagans were threatened with torture or death, but these were usually during times when there were wars going on in which one side was Christian and the other pagan. But not all pagans were tortured. The Church banned torture on several occasions.
They treated them badly
To get them to confess to heresy
The Inquisition was controlled by the Roman Catholic Church- there was both a Roman Inquisition, and a Spanish Variant.
They didn't have a choice either you were the religion that they wanted you t be or you were held as prisoner ,executed ,or tortured till you died. the Spanish inquisition was started by king Ferdinand and queen Isabella they wanted to make sure that no other religion was being practiced besides Christianity. if you were accused of heresy (the practice of another religion) you were sentenced to die. more than two thirds of the population was killed during either the Spanish inquisition or the Portuguese inquisitions.
Jew have been tortured by numerous people throughout history. Probably the most prolific torturers were Josef Mengele (a doctor who performed inhumane medical experiments on Jews during the Holocaust) and Tomás de Torquemada (a Catholic Cardinal who led the Spanish Inquisition and tortured Jews with horrible physical contraptions meant to cause immeasurable pain).
The people persecuted in the Spanish Inquisition were "New Christians", which is to say Jews and Muslims who converted to Christianity in order to continue living in Spain (since Judaism and Islam were banned), but who were believed to be secretly practicing their faith of birth. Hundreds of thousands of Jews and Muslims who converted to Christianity were persecuted. Later, the Spanish Inquisition also persecuted Protestant reformers.
Often, torture was used to punish and kill people deemed heretics during the Spanish Inquisition. Different forms of torture that often resulted in death included starvation, excessive consumption of water, or burning coals.
Strictly speaking, the Spanish Inquisition was designed to persecute Christian heretics, people who were believed to be following Christianity improperly. However, most of the people accused of heresy were former Jews and Muslims who converted to Christian under threat of death. As a result, it is generally oversimplified to say that the Spanish Inquisition targeted JEWS AND MUSLIMS.
Although the Spanish Inquisition was licensed by the Catholic Church, it was primarily a work of the Spanish Crown. Mostly the Inquisition itself was the "tactic" if you will. If someone was reported to the Inquisitor, then an investigation was held, if there was enough evidence, the person would be brought in and questioned. Contrary to "popular opinion" the Inquisition was very mild compared to the civil government, and many cases are known of people who deliberately confessed to some transgression to get their case transferred to the Inquisition to receive more lenient and better treatment.
To stop people from converting from Catholicism.
During the inquisition, most notably the Spanish Inquisition, people who were not Christians (Jews and Muslims) had to convert under the penalty of death. Many were also expelled from Spain and other countries. There was no tolerance in that regard.
The Spanish Inquisition ran from1478 to 1834, in all that time, perhaps two people died a year from the Inquisition, most of them in the early years. Less than two percent were actually even tortured, and that for less than fifteen minutes. The actual historical records, the Church was meticulous in her record keeping, and everything, including the names of the victims was written down, all of these records are just now being released, you may view the story about them and the Inquisition at the links below. I don't believe that a list has been made public yet..AnswerThe actual number of deaths in the Spanish Inquisition is open to question, with some estimates going as high as over 5000 during its four centuries of existence. Clearly the very threat of torture and execution would have resulted in the majority of victims renouncing their non-Catholic views.With so many executions ordered by the Spanish Inquisition, it would be impossible ever to find or list all the names. Wikipedia provides an informative chapter on the estimated death toll, at the related link.
Some people were indeed tortured during World War 1. These people were typically prisoners of war that were held captive for ransom and incentives.