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.
This State Department cable provides talking points for US mission & Embassy officials to inform foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan. It ...
Partially redacted press guidance for DOD release of draft military instruction, which lists/defines certain violations of laws of war and other offenses triable by military commission. The talking points instruct that if inquired about the ...
Email from Andrew Sagor to Todd F. Buchwald, Joshua L. Dorosin, Robin H. Sakoda and Cara L. Abercrombie re: Clearance/comments needed on red response letter, with an attachment not included. Mr. Sagor's comments are "S/WC1 has been tasked to ...
Note states that UK Parliament will issue a report on detainees in Afghanistan, Guantanamo and Iraq, discussing the participation of British intelligence and military officers in interrogations. The report will note that interviews with UK ...
Email from Ronald Miller to Jeremy Caddel re: clearance for memo to Kabul from Prosper and Grossman. Mr. Miller's comments are "Amb Prosper spoke with U/S Grossman earlier today about sending this out under his name. Need your immediate clearance ...
DOS Cable-Action request for Kabul Embassy from Colin L. Powell requesting that the government provide access to the ICRC to visit all detainees under usual ICRC conditions.
Email from Jeremy Caddel to William Taylor concerning a Reuters article about US rejecting the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission access to Afghan detainees. However, it is noted that the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) ...
Memorandum from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Counterterrorism division in Afghanistan. The memorandum describes a meeting at the United States Embassy in Kabul, held by the Ambassador at Large for the United States Commission on War ...
The document describes a meeting convened by Pierre Richard Prosper, Ambassador at Large, United States Commission on War Crimes. Prosper advised that some prisoners at Guantanamo would be moved to Afghanistan, while some would be moved to ...
State Department cable concerning the possible transfer of Guantanamo Detainees from Guantanamo and Bagram back to their home countries. Mostly redacted.
This State department cable concerns a meeting between Amb. Pierre-Richard Prosper and Jakob Kellenberger, President of the International Committee for the Red Cross. The discussion focused on detention issues regarding Guantanamo, Iraq, and ...
DOS Cable, the subject reads: Ambassador Prosper discusses detainee issues with ICRC president Kellenberger.
[There is no other discernible information].
This is a letter from Pierre-Richard Prosper, Ambassador-At-Large for War Crimes Issues, to Tausif Paracha regarding the Treatment of detainees in Afghanistan. In the letter Amb. Prosper states: Let me assure you... President Bush has affirmed on ...
State Department Q & A session with the foreign press re: foreign nationals held at Guantanamo. This is a transcript of the press conference and covers the detention of the Guantanamo detainees, including their demographic information and the ...
State Department cable detailing a Jan. 18 meeting between Amb. Propser and others with coordination Amg. Khaled Maghamis, Deputy Attorney General Sultan Bou Jarwa and Kuwait University Law Professor Dr. Mohammed Buzubar, all three who are ...
Letter from DOS in response to the recipient's previous letter expressing concern over the US' treatment of juvenile detainees. The letter from Pierre-Richard Prosper states that the "the United States . . . is treating young enemy combatants in ...
Emails discuss pleas from human rights groups, like Amnesty International, urging the U.S. to not return Uyghur detainees back to China. The detainees are currently being held in Guantanamo Bay, there is fear that if they are returned the Uyghurs ...
Email from Clifton Johnson forwarding an article in the Independent (UK) with the headline "Guantanamo treatment is 'monstrous', says law lord", Dated November 26, 2003. The forwarding comments are: "Folks, The story below was in today's ...
State Department cable from Kuwaiti Embassy to State Department re: Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper Discusses Iraqi War Crimes and Guantanamo. The cable states that Amb. Pierre-Richard Prosper met with Committee for Missing and POW Affairs ...
State Department cable with a letter from Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper on behalf of Sec. Powell. The letter states that the men are being held in accordance with the law of war for illegal enemy combatants, but that they are being treated ...
Email from Mark W. Libby to Jonathan Crock re: Briefing Request. Remarks: Per Whitaker/Prosper conversation, please prepare a briefing memo for the Secretary's participation in this PC. Please deliver final, fully cleared memo to S/ES-S no later ...
State department Memo from Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper to Secretary Powell with requesting approval on reply to Edward Davey Member of the UK House of Commons re: his concerns about detainees. Approval was given.
This State Department cable provides talking points concerning informing foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan, and policy guidance for ...
This State Department cable provides talking points concerning informing foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan, and policy guidance for ...
Email includes a cable with the following subject: International Committee of the Red Cross delivers note verbale on 'rights and duties' of the U.S. as occupying power. Email is completely redacted.
State Department cable describing a meeting Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper had with an Ambassador of another country on May 7, 2003. The Ambassador for the foreign government requested that his citizens be released from Guantanamo, and Amb. ...
State Department memo on a meeting Amb. Prosper had with International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) President Kellenberger concerning a certain detainee and the need for "public knowledge" of discussions on his status to address concerns ...
DOS Cable re: International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) Delivers a Verbal Request to Visit Guantanamo Detainees. The cable is completly redacted.
CIA copy of a news transcript for an April 2003 DOD briefing discussing DOD policies on the Geneva Conventions, enemy prisoners of war, and war crimes, especially in the context of the Iraqi conflict. The briefing was presented by Bryan Whitman, ...
Emails between Mathew Waxman and Amb. Prosper concering a meeting on the detainees. The comments from Mr. Waxman are "Am I correct that what we need -- and I think this is what Pierre was recommending -- is a one-page sheet BEFORE we get to these ...
State Department cable detailing Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper's meeting with senior Swedish officials, parliamentarians, the press and legal experts concerning the U.S. detention of terror suspects and the label "Illegal Combatant" in order ...
This State Department cable provides talking points concerning informing foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan, and policy guidance for ...
DOS Memo from William H. Taft to Secretary of State Powell re: Photographing POWs and the Geneva Conventions. Summary redacted. Discussion explores the US position on photographing and/or releasing photographs of POWs.
This State Department cable provides talking points for US mission & Embassy officials to inform foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan. It ...
State Department cable stating that the U.S. has come to an agreement to return five (5) Guantanamo detainees back to their home country. The agreement includes assurances from the receiving country that the detainees will receive humane ...
State Department cable concerning Ambassador Prosper's March 10-11 Visit to Copenhagen for dialogue with Danish government. Includes summary of discussions of Guantanamo detainees, dialogue with NGOs, including questions of torture. Document has ...
Opinion Editorial on Guantanamo Detainees from Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper, Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues. The Op-Ed states that terrorists need not be granted POW status under Article 4 of the Geneva Convention but should be ...
This State Department cable provides talking points for US mission & Embassy officials to inform foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan. It ...
State Department cable draft response to questions submitted by an attorney for a detainee held at Guantanamo. This cable contains talking points to address the status of these citizens being held at Guantanamo. The cable goes on to state; 1) The ...
State Department cable announcing the release of four (4) detainees from Guantanamo to their home governments. The cable also states that the U.S. is willing to release detainees to home countries that are willing to treat the former detainees ...
Message entirely redacted except for a footnote that states "Note: The detainee's father — who has publicized his son's situation by occupying in a cage in downtown Stockholm throughout the past week — staged a protest in front of the Embassy on ...