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.
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding requests made by the NCIS for documents related to two specific detainees as well as information related to allegations of abuse.
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding the revision and finalization of the text of a Question for the Record (QFR) submitted to Congress about the FBI's treatment of detainees.
An email in reply to a received "'positive' response." The response reports that the FBI agent observed aggressive treatment of a detainee who appeared to have blood shot eyes and what appeared to be blood that congealed to his eyelashes.
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding the provision of copies of written reports that note FBI disagreements or objections to the handling of detainees by any American entities in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Guantanamo Bay.
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding the imminent release of a letter written by Thomas Harrington on the treatment of Guantanamo Bay detainees.
An email regarding allegations of misconduct against two FBI agents. During an interview with one of the agents, they stated that there were, "inhumane conditions at the Baghdad detention facility... Although I only personally observed this abuse ...
The document is an FBI cover sheet for the release of interview reports from New York pertaining to detainee ISN 661. The reports are for the Department of Defense, Criminal Investigation Task Force.
Series of emails dealing with responses to QFRs (Questions for the Record) following the Director of the FBI's testimony before the Senate Judiciary on 05/20/2004.
The document includes information about a document request made by the Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General regarding detainee issues, specifically any documents related to the disagreements concerning interrogation plans and ...
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding the use of extreme and abusive interrogation techniques against detainees by the military as well as the procedures for reporting such techniques to the Department of Defense.
A letter from the House of Representatives to President George W. Bush informing him of their determination to investigate the prison abuses at Abu Gharib and elsewhere and to request his assistance in obtaining key documents. The letter includes ...
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding the legality or propriety of the DHS interrogation plans being designed and implemented for detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding the referral of a Guantanamo issue to Deputy General Counsel Marion Bowman and his opinion that the issue is not an Intelligence Oversight Board matter.
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding the procedure by which to report complaints about Guantanamo Bay to the Intelligence Oversight Board. The email is redacted.
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding an attachment about Guantanamo Bay and the procedure by which to report the contents of the attachment.
The document is an internal FBI email sent to FBI Director Robert Mueller, regarding the status of Iraqi fingerprinting efforts as well as the results of such efforts.
A series of emails regarding whether hard copies of the FBI Legal Handbook have been issued to agents in the past years, or whether only digital issues have been issued. The emails also note that testimony before Congress should stress that ...
The document is an internal FBI memorandum from the FBI General Counsel, regarding legal advice and opinions about the treatment of prisoners and detainees by FBI personnel. The memorandum is almost entirely redacted, but includes information on ...
The document is an internal FBI detainee interrogation report. The report is almost entirely redacted, but pertains to the interrogation of Detainee ISN 00269 at Guantanamo Bay by agents from the FBI and NCIS.
The document is an internal FBI detainee interrogation report. The report is almost entirely redacted, but pertains to the interrogation of Detainee 00269DP at Guantanamo Bay.
A series of forwarded emails between FBI officials regarding the status of statements for a hearing. One email notes, "We do NOT do Miranda overseas generally--this is contrary to our policy right?"
The document is an internal FBI email sent from Valerie Caproni to FBI Director Robert Mueller, regarding the definition of the abuse and/or mistreatment of prisoners as well as what type of conduct should and should not be reported.
A chain of six emails regarding a military defense investigator's request to the FBI's Counterterrorism Division for FBI emails about detainee abuse. The investigator had been appointed to work on the defense team for one of the Abu Gharib prison ...
The document is an internal FBI email sent to FBI Director Robert Mueller, including a brief synopsis of an AG briefing that covered the issues of MEK interviews and the impact of potential press on ongoing operations.
The document is an internal FBI email sent to FBI Director Robert Mueller, regarding possible topics for an AG meeting with a redacted entity, including prisoner abuse cases and legal advice about the treatment of detainees.
An email between two FBI officials where one asks the other for advice regarding accusations of prisoner abuse being made against two of their agents in Baghdad. The military is asking for access to documents that indicate the two agents ...
The document is an internal FBI email sent from Eleni Kalisch to FBI Director Robert Mueller, regarding an HPSCI briefing concerning detainee interrogations. The briefing included information about the yield of information from detainee ...
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding an attached urgent report that provides details from a military service member deployed in Iraq who observed serious physical abuses of civilian detainees in Samara, Iraq in the fall of 2003.
A transcript of an interview with an FBI Special Agent who was part of an interviewing team at Guantanamo Bay. The transcript first notes that interviews in the evening were conducted by those who were gathering intelligence; the purpose of the ...
The document is an internal FBI memorandum from the Records Management Division, regarding the search and collection of all systems for information concerning any and all foreign detainees in U.S. custody held outside the United States from ...
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding a Monday, December 13, 2004 DCI briefing. The email includes a brief synopsis of the information presented at that meeting, including updates from Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Spain.
The document is an FBI memorandum that has been heavily redacted. The memorandum includes information about the Department of Defense Joint Task Forces, the Joint Interagency Interrogation Facility (JIIF), and five issues for consideration - ...
An email by FBI Agent containing a positive response to observing aggressive treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The email notes that the agent saw, "at least two individuals dressed in BDU's standing and an inmate kneeling on the floor ...
The document is a transcript of proceedings from the United States Senate's Committee on the Judiciary. The transcript is a record of FBI Director Robert Mueller's statement regarding FBI oversight, terrorism and other topics.
Transcript of interview with FBI Special Agent who previously worked as a Case Agent tasked to participate in detainee interviews at Guantanamo Bay. The Agent purportedly never participated in any aggressive treatment, interrogations or interview ...
Transcript of interview with an FBI Investigative Analyst (IA) who formerly worked as a liaison between the FBI and the U.S. military during their temporary duty assignment at Guantanamo Bay. The IA was not a member of any interview or ...