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 (6709)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
Oct. 16, 2003 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 985
A Staff Sargent near Tikrit, Iraq, on September 11, 2003, shot an Iraqi detainee. The shooting was described as "willfully and unlawful". The detainee was shot in the abdomen with a rifle. The SSGT admitted to the act and pleaded for leniency.
Apr. 18, 2005
Non-legal Memo, Investigative File (AR 15-6)
Raymond T. Odierno
Physical assault, General
Oct. 13, 2003 | CID | ACLU-RDI 986
Requests "general, honorable" discharge in lieu of court martial for SSG [Redacted] for the following crimes: pointing a weapon at Taza police prisoner's head (mouth), striking a detainee, tripping a detainee, striking a detainee in the face and ...
Apr. 23, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 983
A soldier took a bottle that a detainee had urinated in and threatened to force the detainee to drink the urine. The detainee was not assaulted or forced to consume the urine. Punishment for the soldier included psychiatric counseling; clean all ...
Apr. 18, 2005
Investigative File
Threat, Assault/death
Feb. 12, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 984
A soldier was found to be guilty of inappropriate action towards a Detainee at Camp Bucca by using disparaging words and displaying a "Star of David" necklace and expressing anti-Arab views. The soldier denied the accusations.
Apr. 18, 2005
Investigative File
Religious, Other, Other Humiliation
Dec. 12, 2003 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 982
A soldier was convicted for striking a detainee and threatening the same detainee with a loaded weapon. In addition, the soldier was found to have attempted to impede an investigation by influencing sworn statements. He tried to prevent a ...
Apr. 18, 2005
Interview (Statement), UCMJ (Article 15, Article 32)
Physical assault, Assault/death, Mock Burial, Threat
Dec. 12, 2003 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 981
A soldier was convicted for threatening a detainee with a loaded weapon. Punishment includes: 180 day suspension, $250/month forfeiture for two months. The inquiry found that the soldier threatened and fired their weapon in an effort to scare ...
Apr. 18, 2005
UCMJ (Article 15)
Physical assault, General, Threat, Assault/death
Sept. 06, 2003 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 980

A soldier was found guilty of using excessive force during interrogation by assaulting detainee with a police riot baton on his feet. Punishment included oral admonition and restriction to set locations (dining hall, duty, company area, ...

Apr. 18, 2005
Investigative File
Physical assault, General
DOA | ACLU-RDI 979
Deleted Page Information Sheet
July 24, 2003 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 978
Following a roadside incident two (2) Iraqi civilians were awaiting soldier's investigation in to the matter, with their hands up and without any weapons. Several of these soldiers [proceeded to] punch, kick, butt stroke, and shout at the ...
Apr. 18, 2005
Investigative File, Photograph
Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, General
Oct. 29, 2003 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 977
Army AR 15-6 Investigation in to abuse allegations by a soldiers upon an Iraqi detainees in US custody. Three (3) soldiers at FOB entered the detainee holding area and "proceeded to enter the holding cell and physically assault the four (4) ...
Apr. 18, 2005
Investigative File
Physical assault, General