Pau de arara

Students mimicking a Pau de Arara during a protest in Brasília in 2012.

Pau de arara (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpaw dʒi aˈɾaɾɐ]) is a torture method in which the victim is bound by the ankles and wrists, with the biceps under a pole and knees over it. The pau de arara torture method was widely used by during the military dictatorship in Brazil. It was previously used during World War II by Wilhelm Boger at Auschwitz concentration camp, where it came to be known as the "Boger swing".