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 (29)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
June 18, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6720
This June 18, 2002 cable details the message that the interrogation team delivered to Abu Zubaydah, which is redacted, the interrogation techniques used on him and his reactions to them, and an assessment of his resistance posture. The cable ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah
SERE, Physical assault, Attention grasp, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Hooding/Goggling, Nudity
June 17, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6745
This June 17, 2002 email discuses replacing psychologist Jim Mitchell with another SERE psychologist whose name is redacted during the July headquarters meeting. The email also includes the contents of a cable regarding "preparing for [redacted] ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Email, Cable
James Mitchell
Abu Zubaydah
Isolation
June 16, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 6718
This June 16, 2002 cable asks that 1) psychological supervision of Abu Zubaydah be provided while the IC SERE psychologist is away and 2) that the group come to agreement on implementing the period of isolation of Abu Zubaydah, using verifiable ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
ALEC
Abu Zubaydah
Isolation
Apr. 01, 2002 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 6678
This is a memo from the CIA which describes the month-long custody and interrogation of detainee Abu Zubaydah and requests comments from Alec/HQs "on establishing the priority focus of the ongoing interrogations of Abu Zubaydah".
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah, Abd Al-Rahman M. Al-Umari
EIT, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound
| ACLU-RDI 6675
This document contains interview notes of a redacted official discussing their knowledge of the events surrounding Gul Rahman's death. The interview discusses different detention conditions at the COBALT site and the kinds of conditions Gul ...
Sept. 02, 2016
Cable, Interview (Summaries/Notes)
Bruce Jessen
Gul Rahman
EIT, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Temperature, Nudity
CIA | ACLU-RDI 6713
This June 2002 cable reports on a meeting held to discuss the next phase of the Abu Zubaydah interrogation. Attendees include psychologist James Mitchell. At the meeting, it was agreed upon that Abu Zubaydah was withholding information on direct ...
Cable
CTC/UBL
James Mitchell
Abu Zubaydah
SERE, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Other
| ACLU-RDI 6721
This CIA cable to the Immediate ALEC Info Director discusses medical care in the event that Abu Zubaydah has a heart attack or another serious medical condition and plans for cremation if he dies. The cable also states that the detainee must ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Isolation
| ACLU-RDI 6727
This CIA cable states that a meeting took place with Abu Zubaydah interrogation team members, including psychologists James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, to discuss specific interrogation techniques, legal guidance, and plans for the post-isolation ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
James Mitchell , Bruce Jessen
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Isolation
| ACLU-RDI 6716
This October 23, 2006 email includes a cable describing Abu Zubaydah's current condition in isolation and observations of a rehearsal of the next phase of Abu Zubaydah's interrogations, which included the use of confinement boxes and the water ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Email, Cable
Abu Zubaydah
Use of water, Waterboarding, Cramped confinement, Isolation