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
Jan. 25, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3977
DOS Cable re: Secretary of State Powell's January 25, 2003 Meeting with International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) President Kellenberger. Heavily redacted: Simply states that Powell met with Kellenberger in Davos on June 25 (which seems to ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Richard A. Boucher, Craig A. Kelly
Mar. 26, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3978
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.
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
William Howard Taft, IV
Colin L. Powell
William Howard Taft, IV, Colin L. Powell, Pierre-Richard Prosper, Edward R. Cummings, JoAnn J. Dolan, Joshua L. Dorosin, Ronald W. Miller, Steven A. Solomon
Dec. 03, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3979
Letter from Yvan Peeters to Sec. of State Powell requesting that children being held at Guantanamo be given access to their families and to lawyers, and either be promptly charged and tried or released.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Yvan Peeters
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Dec. 23, 2003 | ACLU-RDI 3980
Letter enclosing the ICRC Working Paper on their fifth visit to Guantanamo Bay from August 18 - October 10, 2003.
Oct. 30, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3981
Emails between Joshua L. Dorosin, Michael T. Peay and Edward R. Cummings re:Treatment of Guantanamo Detainees - Critical Herald Tribune Story, 10/30/02. The email is seeking guidance on Tribune's article about the maltreatment of Guantanamo ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
Joshua L. Dorosin
Michael T. Peay | Ed Cummings | Steven A. Solomon | Jeffrey DeLaurentis | Piper A. Campbell | Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Joshua L. Dorosin, Michael T. Peay, Edward R. Cummings, Steven A. Solomon, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Piper Anne Wind Campbell, Linda Thomas-Greenfield
Mar. 01, 2003 | ACLU-RDI 3982
Guantanamo Detainees Op-Ed by Pierre-Richard Prosper Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, March 2003. In this Op-ed Amb. Prosper describes how it is that America came to the issue of taking Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters and the difficulty ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Other
Pierre-Richard Prosper
Pierre-Richard Prosper
May 17, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3983
Email regarding pre-meeting for presenters for ACIL meeting
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
Joshua L. Dorosin
Russell K. LaMotte
Russell K. LaMotte, Joshua L. Dorosin, Todd F. Buchwald
Oct. 09, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3984
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 ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Ronald W. Miller
Ronald W. Miller, Pierre-Richard Prosper
Aug. 05, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3985
Email from David J. Tessler to Jonathan M. Crock and Joshua L. Dorosin re: News Reports from London August 5, 2004. The comment from Mr. Tessler on the email is "Good morning. Another interesting piece in London's daily brief about detainees, ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
David J. Tessler
Jonathan M. Crock | Joshua L. Dorosin
Jonathan M. Crock, Joshua L. Dorosin
Dec. 28, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3986
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
Feb. 04, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3987
Cover sheet, transmittal slips, blank sheet w/ handwriting "To: Don Rumsfeld, Condi Rice, Andy Card, FYI"
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Jonathan B. Schwartz
Todd F. Buchwald | JoAnn J. Dolan
Jonathan B. Schwartz, Todd F. Buchwald, JoAnn J. Dolan, Andrew Card, Condoleeza Rice, Donald H. Rumsfeld, Colin L. Powell
Mar. 03, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3988
DOS Cover Sheet re: Routing and Transmission Report re: Guantanamo Detainees. The recipients are Sec. Def. Rumsfeld, NSA Advisor Rice and Andrew Card.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Colin L. Powell
Donald H. Rumsfeld | Condoleeza Rice | Andrew Card
Apr. 07, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3989
DOS Cover Sheet re: Routing and Transmittal Slip from Adrian Daniel
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Adrian Daniel
Apr. 05, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3990
Fax Cover sheet from Steven Schneebaum, Patton Boggs Law Firm to Secretary of State Colin Powell
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Steven M. Schneebaum
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
May 03, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3991
Letter from Cristophe Girod, International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), to William Howard Taft IV re: Working Paper on ICRC Sixth Visit to the internment facilities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, between January 26 th and March 8th 2004. Mr. ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Christophe Girod
William Howard Taft, IV
William Howard Taft, IV, Jay W. Hood, P. Michael McKinley, Charles A. Allen, John B. Bellinger, III, Shirin Tahir-Kheli, Benjamin R. Mixon
May 06, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3992
DOS Memo re: Talking Points on the Iraqi government taking over Abu Ghraib prison and Iraqi Governance in general post the June 30, 2004 turn-over to the Iraqis. The memo states "The Iraqi criminal justice system, including a number of courts, ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
George W. Bush, L. Paul Bremer, Mark Traecey Patrick Kimmitt
May 17, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3993
DOS interagency delivery checklist for the appropriate handling and delivery of attached documents re: Summary of Conclusions for Principals Committee Meeting on Detainees 5/12/04
May 17, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3994
This State Department memo gives the State Dept.'s official position on the question of detainees/ Geneva Conventions: the Geneva Conventions apply to the conflict w/ Al Qaeda but not with the Taliban; Neither Al-Qaeda nor Taliban detainees have ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
Alberto R. Gonzales, Colin L. Powell, William Howard Taft, IV
Aug. 12, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3995
Cover letter from Craig Mokhiber, Officer-in-Charge, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to U.S. Amb. to the U.N. John Danforth enclosing a letter from Prof. Cherif Bassiouni, Independent Expert for Human Rights in Afghanistan. ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Craig Mokhiber
John Danforth
John Claggett Danforth
Aug. 19, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3996
Letter from Anne Patterson, U.S. Ambassador, to Professor Bassiouni responding to a request from Prof. Bassiouni to Amb. Danforth relating to travel to Afghanistan.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Anne Patterson
Anne Woods Patterson, John Claggett Danforth
Aug. 23, 2004 | ACLU-RDI 3997
Cover letter from Craig Mokhiber, officer-in-Charge, Office of the High Commissioner for the United Nations enclosing a letter from Prof. Cherif Bassiouni, Independent Expert for Human Rights in Afghanistan to Anne Patterson, U.S. Ambassador.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Craig Mokhiber
Anne Patterson
Anne Woods Patterson
Sept. 24, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3998
DOS Cover Sheet re: Routing and Transmittal Slip: Summary of Conclusions for Principals Committee Meeting on Detainees - 9/14/04
Feb. 13, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3999
DOS interagency delivery checklist for the appropriate handling and delivery of attached documents re: Request to Interview Detainees at Guantanamo.
Mar. 05, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4000
DOS Fax Cover Sheet from Karl Hoffman to William Marriott re: Request for Team to Visit Detainees at Guantanamo
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Karl Hofmann
William P. Marriott
Karl W. Hofmann, William P. Marriott
Sept. 21, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4001
State Department cable concerning the transfer of Yaser Esam Hamdi from US custody to Saudi Arabia as reported in the newspapers.
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Yaser Esam Hamdi
Aug. 06, 1999 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 4002
United nations Secretary-General's Bulletin Observance by United Nations forces of international humanitarian law. The Secretary-General, for the purpose of setting out fundamental principles and rules of international humanitarian law applicable ...
Nov. 27, 2001 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4003
Email from Todd Buchwald to David Kaye re: IM to S on Detainee Rights. Detainee Rights attachment not included.
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
Todd F. Buchwald
David A. Kaye
Todd F. Buchwald, David A. Kaye
July 05, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4004
Email from Darlene Namahoe with Beverly Holman as a recipient re: Litigation Involving Detainees. Confidential attachment not included.
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
Darlene Namahoe
Beverly S. Holman
Beverly S. Holman
Aug. 02, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4005
Email from David Bowker to Joshua Dorosin and Todd Buchwald re: International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) report on detainees, attachment not included.
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
David W. Bowker
Joshua L. Dorosin | Todd F. Buchwald
David W. Bowker, Joshua L. Dorosin, Todd F. Buchwald
Mar. 18, 2003 | ACLU-RDI 4007
Email from JoAnn Dolan to Todd Buchwald, Andre Surena, Ronald W. Miller, Waldo W. Brooks, Joshua L. Dorosin and Robert E. Dalton re: C-175 memorandum of law attachment (not included). Ms. Dolan's comments are "Attached is a draft memorandum of ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
JoAnn J. Dolan
Todd F. Buchwald | Andre Surena | Ronald W. Miller | Waldo W. Brooks | Joshua L. Dorosin | Robert E. Dalton
JoAnn J. Dolan, Todd F. Buchwald, Duncan B. Hollis, Andre M. Surena, Ronald W. Miller, Waldo W. Brooks , Joshua L. Dorosin, Robert E. Dalton
May 11, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4008
This email is a copy of the press release of the remarks of Sec. Powell and Foreign Minister Fischer concerning Iraq in the context of a new UN resolution that will be required to move forward to returning full sovereignty back to the Iraqis; ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
Jonathan B. Schwartz
Ed Cummings | JoAnn J. Dolan | Todd F. Buchwald
Colin L. Powell, Jonathan B. Schwartz, Edward R. Cummings, JoAnn J. Dolan, Todd F. Buchwald, Condoleeza Rice, Antonio Taguba, L. Paul Bremer, Donald H. Rumsfeld
July 22, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4009
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 ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
Andrew E. Sagor
Todd F. Buchwald | Joshua L. Dorosin | Cara L. Abercrombie | Robin H. Sakoda
Colin L. Powell, Pierre-Richard Prosper, Todd F. Buchwald, Joshua L. Dorosin, Robin H. Sakoda, Cara L. Abercrombie
July 06, 2004 | ACLU-RDI 4010
DOS interagency delivery checklist for the appropriate handling and delivery of attached documents. Executive secretariat cover action memo sheet.
June 09, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 4011
A letter from Netta Voutilainen of Amnisty International to Sec. of State Powell expressing concern for Mohammed Jassem 'Abd al-'Issawi, detained in Abu Ghraib since 12/17/03. Ms. Voutilainen askes "to be informed why he has been detained; and I ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Netta Voutilainen
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, George W. Bush, Donald H. Rumsfeld, L. Paul Bremer, Bonnie McElveen-Hunter
Sept. 06, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4012
Emails between Joann Dolan Newell Highsmith, Ted Borek and Others re: BM D.Hoon 9.11.02 Inputs due by Friday, September 6, 2002. Redacted message; Request for briefing memo inputs.
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
JoAnn J. Dolan
Ted A. Borek | Todd F. Buchwald | Newell L. Highsmith | Priscilla G. Hernandez
JoAnn J. Dolan, Todd F. Buchwald
Sept. 13, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4013
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 ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
JoAnn J. Dolan
Pierre-Richard Prosper | Ronald W. Miller | William Howard Taft, IV | Brian H. Leventhal | Ed Cummings | Joshua L. Dorosin | Andre M. Surena | Todd F. Buchwald
JoAnn J. Dolan, Pierre-Richard Prosper, Ronald W. Miller, William Howard Taft, IV, Brian H. Leventhal, Edward R. Cummings, Joshua L. Dorosin, Andre M. Surena, Katherine M. Gorove, Todd F. Buchwald
Jan. 09, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4014
Subject line states ICRC only. Ms. Dolan's remarkes are "The cable is in on yesterday's meeting. I also have copies of the two ICRC letters referred from PRM. If anyone does not have copies already, let me know and I will get them around." ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
JoAnn J. Dolan
William Howard Taft, IV | Ronald W. Miller | Joshua L. Dorosin | Todd F. Buchwald | Waldo W. Brooks | Edward R. Cummings
JoAnn J. Dolan, William Howard Taft, IV, Ronald W. Miller, Joshua L. Dorosin, Todd F. Buchwald, Waldo W. Brooks , Edward R. Cummings
Jan. 15, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4015
Email from JoAnn Dolan to Ed Cummings, Joshua Dorosin and Others re: PC Memo in Detainee-as sent. There is an attachment on the email, but the attachment is not included.
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
JoAnn J. Dolan
Edward R. Cummings | Joshua L. Dorosin | Waldo W. Brooks | Todd F. Buchwald | Andre M. Surena | Steve A. Solomon
Ronald W. Miller, Edward R. Cummings, Joshua L. Dorosin, Waldo W. Brooks , Todd F. Buchwald, Andre M. Surena, Steven A. Solomon
Apr. 30, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4016
A Proposed response to Patton Boggs lawyers attachment (not included).
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
Waldo W. Brooks
Todd F. Buchwald | Curtis A. Bradley | Philo L. Dibble | James Burger | Aaron W. Jost
Waldo W. Brooks , Todd F. Buchwald, Curtis A. Bradley, Philo L. Dibble, James Burger , Aaron W. Jost
Mar. 26, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4017
This cable sent from the Paris Mission sent to State Department Headquarters with the following synopsis: “On March 19, 2002, post received a letter addressed to the Ambassador from the attorneys of the families of detainees who are allegedly in ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
JoAnn J. Dolan, Colin L. Powell, Bruce Swartz, John B. Bellinger, III, Eliana Davidson
Oct. 02, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4018
This State Department cable is a set of talking points to address the issue of a cameraman who is allegedly detained at Guantanamo. The cable refers to two (2) letters; 1) September 16, 2002; and 2) June 4, 2002 from a redacted source asking the ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
JoAnn J. Dolan, Ronald W. Miller, Eliana Davidson, Jonathan Scharfan, Ross Hyams
Oct. 20, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4019
State Department cable re: formal request for access to the Guantanamo detainees of a certain nationality (not disclosed). The cable states: "In a 10/20 meeting at the MFA, DCM informed MFA Americas Desk Director of [U.S. government's] to ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Stephanie J. Molnar
Feb. 08, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4020
State Department cable advising Washington that the U.S. Ambassador Farish received a Letter dated February 8, 2002 from a law firm representing a detainee held in U.S. custody at Guantanamo. The letter requests access to the detainee, a meeting ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
William Stamps Farish
Jonathan M. Crock
William Stamps Farish, IV, Jonathan M. Crock
Dec. 10, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4021
State Department cable to Washington stating: "Mission has received a letter from the Special Rapporteur on Torture of the Commission on Human Rights requesting, for a second time, information on 'allegations of torture or ill-treatment' of ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Jonathan M. Crock
Jonathan M. Crock, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Michael T. Peay
Dec. 17, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4022
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
July 02, 2004 | ACLU-RDI 4023
Letter from UN Commission on Human Rights to U.S. Ambassador Kevin Edward Moley re: Request for Information on Detainee Treatment and Legal Status. The letter refers to Commission resolutions on torture and requests investigation into allegations ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Theo van Boven | Leandro Despouy | Paul Hunt
Kevin Edward Moley
Kevin Edward Moley
Dec. 29, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4024
Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld
July 16, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4025
Email from JoAnn Dolan to Emily Willmott, Carl Newns, Linda Jacobson and Todd Buchwald re: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) Reply with attachements (attachments not included).
Dec. 30, 2004
Email
JoAnn J. Dolan
Linda Jacobson | Todd F. Buchwald | Anne C. Brunson
JoAnn J. Dolan, Linda Jacobson, Todd F. Buchwald
DOS | ACLU-RDI 4026
State Department talking points memo on the status of detainees at Guantanamo provides information on the number of detainees held; the status of their case review; the U.S. is treating and will continue to treat all of the individuals detained ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
George W. Bush
Nov. 07, 2003 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 4027

Report of the International Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights to the Special OSCE Meeting on the Prevention of Torture, Vienna, 6-7 November 2003. The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights is a non-governmental organization ...