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 (95)

Investigation of photographs taken of a hooded and flexcuffed detainee in a stress position with a U.S. soldier simulating sodomy on him with a broomstick. Investigation shows that the detainees were not put into the stress positions for reasons ...
May 16, 2005
Investigative File (AR 15-6)
Physical assault, Sexual, Stress positions, Other Humiliation, Sexual
A 17 year-old Iraqi male detainee, Basim Mohammed Hussein, complains of back pain after being beaten by coalition forces. Claims to have been beaten at a house near Al-Adamiya Palace. He was beaten for eight days, including having his head was ...
Court Martial Records of SPC Megan Ambuhl, who did not participate in abuse of detainees, but pled guilty to Dereliction of Duty for not reporting the activities of MP and MI personnel at Abu Ghraib Prison. She was sentenced to forfeiture of 1/2 ...
In October 2003, Specialist Cruz participated in the abuse of detainees in the Hard Site at Abu Ghraib. Spc. Cruz and others ordered three (3) detainees to strip naked. The detainees were handcuffed together with metal handcuffs "to mess with ...
Apr. 06, 2005
UCMJ (Court-Martial), Judicial (Transcript)
Armin J. Cruz
Use of water, Water dousing, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Sexual, General, Stress positions, Use of phobias, Nudity, Other Humiliation, Sexual, Forced physical training
This document is the condensed notes of an interview of at Screener in Abu Ghraib Prison from Mid-December 2003 through January 2004. The interview is a verbatim rendition of the Screener’s statement and it is noted that the statement is to be ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Statement, Summaries/Notes)
George R. Fay
Use of water, Other, Physical assault, Walling, Sexual, General, Use of electricity, Stress positions, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Nudity, Other Humiliation, Sexual, Religious, Other
Sworn statement from a CACI contractor who screened detainees arriving at Abu Ghraib from Asamiya Palace (alternate spelling: Adhamiya Palace) from mid-December 2003 through January 2004. The Screener describes in her statement hearing ...
Sworn statement of a Captain with the 372nd Military Police Company. The Captain states "I was shocked when I noticed that the detainees in Wing 1 were naked. There was one with women's underwear. . . . " Was told the nudity of detainees and ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Statement)
Janis Leigh Karpinski
Physical assault, General, Nudity, Other Humiliation, Sexual, Manipulation of interrogator’s identity
Sworn statement, interviewee stated, I was asked to observe an interrogation which possibly fell on the border line [of inappropriate techniques]. Also, stated that he/she "heard of an unauthorized interrogation by three interrogators in SEP 03. ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Transcript)
Physical assault, Nudity, Other Humiliation, Sexual
Memo of a telephonic interview with Military Intelligence Officer concerning statements made in his sworn statement. Interviewee stated his comments were rumors he overheard and did not believe those comments would be construed as first hand ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Non-legal Memo, Interview (Summaries/Notes)
Other Humiliation, Sexual, Other
Sworn statement of an Army Specialist intelligence analyst assigned to Abu Ghraib prison as a member of the Tiger Team of Interrogators. He stated that he did not conduct interviews initially and was very aware of the Rules of Engagement ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Statement)
Physical assault, General, Use of phobias, Nudity, Other Humiliation, Sexual