After September 11, 2001, U.S. officials authorized the cruel treatment and torture of prisoners held in Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantanamo, and the CIA's secret prisons overseas.

This database documents the U.S. government's official experiment with torture. At present, the database contains well over 100,000 pages of government documents obtained primarily through Freedom of Information Act litigation and requests filed by the ACLU, and through litigation of Salim v. Mitchell, a lawsuit brought by the ACLU on behalf of the survivors and the family of a dead victim of the CIA torture program. To learn more about the database, please read the About and Search Help pages. If you're a developer, you can also access this data through our API.

Search Result (51)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
Mar. 02, 2004 | CIA-OGC | ACLU-RDI 6608
A letter from the CIA to OLC requesting that the OLC reaffirm its analyses in several previously issued memos relating to interrogation. The letter states that "we rely on the applicable law and OLC guidance to assess the lawfulness of detention ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo, Letter
Scott W. Muller
Jack L. Goldsmith
Jack L. Goldsmith, Scott W. Muller, Alberto R. Gonzales, Jay S. Bybee, John A. Rizzo
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Water dousing, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Other
Nov. 29, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 6328
The document is an untitled letter from a detainee alleging abuse by the American military. The detainee states that he was questioned about the role of Iraqi intelligence in furthering international terrorism and about where Iraq had hidden its ...
June 15, 2011
Letter
Physical assault, General, Walling, Assault/death, Stress positions, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Light or sound, Temperature, Hooding/Goggling, Threat, Environmental manipulation
Mar. 02, 2004 | CIA-OGC | ACLU-RDI 4565

A letter from the CIA to OLC requesting that the OLC reaffirm its analyses in several previously issued memos relating to interrogation.  The letter states that "we rely on the applicable law and OLC guidance to assess the lawfulness ...

Aug. 24, 2009
Legal Memo, Letter
Scott W. Muller
Jack L. Goldsmith
Scott W. Muller, Jack L. Goldsmith, John C. Yoo, Alberto R. Gonzales, Jay S. Bybee, John A. Rizzo
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Water dousing, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Other
Dec. 01, 2004 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 4587

A fax (sent January 15, 2005) from the CIA to the OLC of the December 2004 OMS Guidelines on Medical and Psychological Support to Detainee Rendition, Interrogation, and Detention. The document is heavily redacted but describes the enhanced ...

Aug. 24, 2009
Non-legal Memo, Medical (Psychological)
Daniel B. Levin
Daniel B. Levin
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Water dousing, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Temperature, Hooding/Goggling, Nudity, Other Humiliation, Forced grooming
Sept. 15, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 4893
FBI memo from interviewing FBI agents who toured through Camp Delta, Camp X-Ray and the Naval Brig at Guantanamo. The agents stated that they witnessed several acts of abuse and the memo provides their accounts in detail. Memo notes the ...
Jan. 02, 2007
Non-legal Memo
Stephen R. Wiley
Physical assault, General, Use of phobias, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Other Humiliation, Religious
Sept. 14, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 4895
Handwritten notes of FBI agent deployed to Guantanamo. Agent notes are a timeline of his activities witnessing interviews and detainee abuse at Camp Delta, Guantanamo. The typed-out version of these notes are in ACLU RDI 4893 and email ACLU RDI ...
Jan. 02, 2007
Notes
Geoffrey D. Miller, Michael E. Dunlavey
Physical assault, Use of phobias, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Other Humiliation, Religious
July 15, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 4896
This email is a response to a Bureau wide memo sent by Steve McCraw to illicit information from FBI agents who toured through Guantanamo Bay to report any suspected or witnessed abuse of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. This FBI agent states "In late ...
Jan. 02, 2007
Non-legal Memo, Email
Steven C. McCraw
Steven C. McCraw
Physical assault, Use of phobias, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Other Humiliation, Religious
Sept. 15, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 4897
FBI memo detailing FBI agents experience and observations while touring Camp Delta, Guantanamo. This memo is related to ACLU RDI 4893, 4895 and 4896.
Jan. 02, 2007
Non-legal Memo
Donald H. Rumsfeld, Stephen R. Wiley
Physical assault, General, Use of phobias, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Other Humiliation, Religious
Sept. 14, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 4899

Handwritten note of an FBI agent who toured through Camp Delta, Guantanamo. These notes are related to ACLU RDI 4893, ACLU RDI 4895, ACLU RDI 4896 and ACLU RDI 4897.

Jan. 02, 2007
Notes
Physical assault, General, Use of phobias, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Other Humiliation, Religious
Sept. 22, 2004 | DON | ACLU-RDI 657
Two (2) suspects in the theft from the Iraqi National Guard (ING) Training Camp at Camp Junction City, allege being abused while in custody. Both suspects provided facts "proven to be false and established patterns of not providing the truth". ...
June 28, 2006
Investigative File
Richard F. Natonski
Richard F. Natonski
General, Use of electricity, Cramped confinement, Isolation, Light or sound, Physical assault, Environmental manipulation