In the first gulf war how many lives were saved by the Iraqis surrendering in droves because they KNEW we would treat them humanely?
Saddam could have argued that by routinely torturing those that opposed his government he saved civilian lives that would be lost in a civil war.... sure, feeding a man into a shredder feet first may seem harsh, but if it uncovers or discourages plots to bomb government buildings think of the number of civilian lives that it saved!