Pau de arara
Pau-de-Arara (Parrot's Perch)
The Pau-de-Arara is a physical torture technique designed to cause severe joint and muscle pain, as well as headaches, and psychological trauma. The technique consists of a tube, bar, or pole placed over the victim's biceps and behind the knees while tying both the victim's ankles and wrists together. The entire assembly is suspended between two metal platforms forming what looks like a parrot's perch.
This technique is believed to originate from Portuguese slave traders, which used the Pau-de-Arara as a form of punishment for disobedient slaves. It more recently used by the agents of the Brazilian military dictatorship against political dissidents in the 1960s and 1970s. The Brazilian military often used this technique as a restraint for a combination of other torture techniques, such as water boarding, nail pulling, branding, electric shocks, and sexual torture.