Not legitimate

I've been reading a novel from which I want to share a few lines: "… says it does not matter if you lie to …. They have no right to silence, even if they know speech will incriminate them; if they will not speak, then break their fingers, burn them with irons, hang them up by their wrists. It is legitimate, and indeed … goes further; it is blessed."

Can you fill in the blanks? What and who are