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 document was faxed from the CIA to Steven Bradbury (OLC). It describes the CIA's technique of "horizontal sleep deprivation," wherein a detainee is placed on a large blanket on the floor and chained such that he cannot sleep. ...
A background paper on the CIA's combined use of interrogation techniques, addressed to Daniel Levin, Acting Assistant Attorney General. The document states that "Effective interrogation is based on the concept of using both physical and ...
A fax (sent January 15, 2005) from the CIA to the OLC of the December 2004 OMS Guidelines on Medical and Psychological Support to Detainee Rendition, Interrogation, and Detention. The document is heavily redacted but describes the enhanced ...
This letter is the CIA's response to questions raised by Daniel Levin, OLC, regarding the use of waterboarding. The letter describes the CIA's limits in administering the technique. [OLC Vaughn Index #72]
This letter is the CIA's response to questions raised by Daniel Levin, OLC, regarding the use of waterboarding. The letter describes the CIA's limits in administering the technique. [OLC Vaughn Index #73]
This CIA memo provides guidelines on interrogations of detainees, Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. The memo is divided into the following sections: 1) Permissible Interrogation Techniques; 2) Medical and Psychological Personnel; 3) Interrogation ...
A draft psychological assessment of Abu Zubaydah faxed to John Yoo from the CIA. The assessment provides background information ("for at least a decade, subject has lived and worked within an environment that has condoned, nurtured, ...
This memo on confinement conditions for CIA detainees is divided into sections: 1) minimums; 2) implementing procedures; 3) responsible CIA officer; 4) [redacted]. An acknowledgment form/waiver is attached. [OLC Vaughn Index #11]
A heavily redacted cable from the field to CIA headquarters relating to the status of Abu Zubaydah. The unredated portions refer to the waterboarding of Abu Zubaydah.
A heavily redacted memorandum from the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence to the Deputy Director for Operations, the DCI Counterterrorist Center, and Senior Deputy General Counsel re the Interrogation of Abu Zabaydah.
Heavily redacted report regarding the "successful raid and capture of Abu Zubaydah". The document references the use of waterboarding during Abu Zabaydah interrogations. The document also mentions that waterboarding was used in the interrogation ...
Heavily redacted memo from DCI to Nat'l Sec. Advisor (4pgs) and memo from GC to DCI (1pg) with routers. Refers to DOJ's 2002 authorization for the CIA to employ certain techniques on certain high-value detainees (HVDs), and mentions waterboarding.
This is a heavily redacted version of a CIA memo later released in less-redacted form. The less-redacted version is available at ACLU-RDI 4562. This version of the document shows that CIA interrogators were permitted to use both ...
State Department memo re: Detainees: Policy and Status. Completely redacted except for "Abu Ghraib: Multiple DoD investigations are currently underway. To date, one of the seven soldiers originally accused of crimes has faced a Special Court ...
This State Department memo is a partial of a larger memo entitled "Interrogations and Army Regulations". and states "The Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War provides that "no physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be ...
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.
State Department memo with takling points on issues of the day entitled "Background on Key Issues". Content redacted. Mentions comments by A Lindh criticizing detention policies
State Department memo listing the participants for the November 12, 2002 meeting between Undersecretary Grossman and Swedish State Secretary Lars Danielsson.
This is a White House press release describing the treatment of detainees as humane and consistent with the Geneva Conventions. It states that all Guantanamo detainees are being provided: three meals a day that meet Muslim dietary laws; water; ...
White House Press Release on the Detention, Treatment, and Trial of Certain Non-Citizens in the War Against Terrorism. The memo/press release is broken in to sections that list: Findings; Definition and Policy; Orders and regulations that pertain ...
State Department talking points on the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) Rotational Move at Guantanamo. It concerns a report that the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) will be "pulling-out" of Guantanamo and have no ...
This is a White House press release describing the treatment of detainees as humane and consistent with the Geneva Conventions. It states that all Guantanamo detainees are being provided: three meals a day that meet Muslim dietary laws; water; ...
State Department talking points on the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo. The main points being made are: 1) All accusations of mistreatment are taken seriously and fully investigated; 2) Torture and other forms of cruel treatment committed by ...
DOS Memo talking points on United Nations Report on Human Rights in Iraq. Guidance states that the some of the report's findings related to alleged human rights violations are based on generalized allegations that fail to indicate where or when ...
State Department memo on an upcoming visit by the Swedish Prime Minister. The memo provides background to assist the President
in preparing for this meeting.
Memo includes excerpts from an ICRC press statement on the U.S. government's detention policies. The ICRC's President asked the U.S. to institute due legal process and to make significant changes for the more than 600 detainees being held in ...
Memo, among other things, describes the U.S. government's application of the Geneva Convention with respect to the War on Terrorism and differentiates the U.S. government's treatment of detainees from the Iraq's treatment of American detainees.
State Department memo is a press guidance/talking points from the DOS discussing the reasons why the U.S. will not release the ICRC's report on the treatment of Guantanamo detainees.
The memo appears to be the Press Secretary's talking points for a press statement. The statement appears to address the President's stance on treating detainees according to the principles of the Geneva Convention.
DOS Memo re: Talking Points on Draft Resolution on the Question of Arbitrary Detentions in the Area of the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo. Commission on Human Rights draft resolution requesting clarification on the living conditions and status of ...
State Department talking points and press guidance on discussing the legal status of the Guantanamo detainees. The memo states that the legal status currently being reviewed and that the detainees are being treated humanely.
This is a State department Talking points and press guidance memo concerning the legal basis for the U.S. holding detainees at Guantanamo. The talking points highlight that the detainees are "enemy Combatants" and not Prisoners of War (POWs) and ...
DOE talking points memo on Q&As concerning Bosnia's handing over six Algerian/Bosnian terror suspects to US forces, and their subsequent transfer to Guantanamo.
DOE talking points memo on Q&As concerning Bosnia's handing over six Algerian/Bosnian terror suspects to US forces, and their subsequent transfer to Guantanamo.
State Department talking points memo entitled: Guantanamo: U.S. Policy on Detainees - May 5, 2003. The memo states: A process is underway to reach a final determination on all detainees. Each detainee will be prosecuted or continue to be detained ...