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 (69)

A detainee claims that he was in a vehicle with other Iraqi men who possessed AK-47s. The men attempted to avoid a road-side checkpoint and were stopped by US gunfire. While the men were detained at the roadside, several Iraqi civilians began to ...
Detainee reported that he was arrested after US forces found a weapon in his home. He was detained at Al Sijood Palace, Iraq, and it was during this detention he states he was hooded; flexicuffed; punched; kicked; yelled at; and threatened. ...
This CID investigation concerns an investigation in to detainee abuse in Afghanistan. A New York Times newspaper was releasing a story on 12 May 04, concerning allegations of a Afghan Police Colonel that was alleged to be abused by U.S. Forces in ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID)
Sexual, Assault/death, Physical assault, Threat
Detainee reported that he was arrested after US forces after a raid on his home. He states that while in detention at the Baghdad International Airport he was interrogated and claims to have been spat upon and knocked to the ground. He alleges ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID), Photograph
Physical assault, Other Humiliation
A detainee who was held in US custody claims to have been “beaten” in an unspecific manner and by persons whom he could not describe and at a location and time that could not be determined. Despite this, a thorough investigation listed the ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID)
Physical assault
A detainee alleges he was burned with "hot gases" coming from a transport vehicle while he lay on his stomach in the back of the vehicle while being transported. Medical records revealed that the detainee suffered burn injuries which required ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID)
Physical assault, General, Stress positions, Cramped confinement
Investigation of abuse of a detainee by a linguist hired by Titan Corporation during an interrogation in Karbala, Iraq. Investigation established that there was insufficient evidence to prove or disprove listed offenses. Titan interrogator's ...
Dec. 21, 2005
Investigative File (CID)
Face slap or insult slap, General, Physical assault
Allegations of detainee abuse with photographs of nude and semi-nude detainees. Investigation revealed that photos were exposed by a combat Photographer, U.S. Army Magazine, in the performance of his duties as an imbedded reporter with the 3rd ...
Dec. 21, 2005
Investigative File (CID), Photograph
Nudity
Investigation into abuse of detainee who was captured on 01/04/04. Investigation found there was no probable cause to believe the offenses occurred as alleged; therefore, they are unfounded. The only names identified by this investigation were ...
Investigation into abuse of detainee upon capture and on a subsequent occasion in Baghdad. Detainee was captured on 03/19/04 by Iraqi Police and turned over to custody of Americans. He was taken to Al Azhamiyah base. Detainee's account of who ...