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 is an internal memo sent to the FBI Director's Office from the Office of Inspections as a request for designation of the investigation into detainee abuse at Guantanamo Bay as an INSD Special Inquiry. The document notes that out of ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with detainee Moazzem Begg, regarding his general knowledge of incarceration in Egypt, his allegations of being threatened by two FBI agents, and his experiences being detained and ...
The document is a letter from General Counsel William Blier to the ACLU's National Security Project Director Jameel Jaffer, regarding the April 22, 2008 FOIA request made by the ACLU, specifically about documents related to an OIG interview of ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel David Ayres, regarding his knowledge of FBI intelligence-gathering strategies and interrogation techniques, discussions of different intelligence-gathering approaches, and ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 134 released pages for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Larry Thompson, regarding his knowledge of concerns about overseas detainee treatment, his advocacy for civilian control of Iraqi prisons, and discussions about the status ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel [Redacted], regarding his knowledge of Department of Defense interrogation techniques used on Detainee #63 at Guantanamo Bay as well as the FBI's involvement.
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel [Redacted], regarding his knowledge of EC's from the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, the military's interrogation techniques and strategies, and his experiences serving in ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 531 released pages for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel [Redacted], regarding his knowledge of FBI operations and involvement at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, detainee-related issues that were brought by the FBI to the ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 1 released pages for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
Considerably redacted talking points on the legal standards that apply to interrogations of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Abu Gharib and Afghanistan. The notes specifically talk about Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, Article 16 of the ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 872 released pages for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 0 released pages for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
Talking points on FBI participation in overseas interrogations of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Gharib. The document notes the "400 actionable leads" that have been a "direct result" of the "4,000 detainee interviews." It goes on to say ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 1 released page for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
A letter written in response to the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act request relating to the Office of Inspector General's investigation into the interrogation of detainees. The letter notifies Mr. Jaffeer that the U.S. Army Criminal ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel [Redacted], regarding his work experience with the Hostage Rescue Team, concerns about the Department of Defense's interrogation techniques, and the discrepancy between his ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 977 released pages for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
An email to Jameel Jaffer informing him that, though the Department of Defense is withholding a draft response to Congressional Questions for the Record in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 15, 2005, the final versions of the ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Andy Arena, regarding his responsibilities as Section Chief of International Terrorism Operations as well as three areas and issues related to detainees.
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 847 released documents for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel [Redacted], regarding his work experience, the FBI's intelligence gathering capacity and criminal option viability, and his participation in the review of Office of Legal ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 842 released documents for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Bruce Swartz, regarding the provision of numerous documents that he has found for the Office of the Inspector General, including newspaper articles, Israeli Supreme Court ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Bruce Swartz, regarding his knowledge about FBI concerns related to the mistreatment of detainees as well as his knowledge related to incidents of alleged detainee ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Laura Parsky, regarding her work related to the issues at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay as well as concerns that she raised to the detainee Policy Coordinating ...
A cover sheet called "GTMO Special Inquiry" with the following information written on the sheet: "Emails received which were individuals: not on GTMO, wrong identity, Afghan."
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel David Nahmias, regarding his knowledge about legal issues raised about the interrogation techniques employed in a redacted detainee's interrogation at Guantanamo Bay. The ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel David Nahmias, regarding his knowledge about issues related to the treatment or interrogation of military detainees. He states that he regularly raised concerns about the ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel David Nahmias, regarding his role as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division as well as disputes between the FBI and the Department of Defense ...
A considerably redacted two column chart with abbreviations on the side of one column. Handwritten information on the page includes: "GTMO"; "33 Responses"; "Second LIST."
An email by an FBI agent regarding an observation of a non-FBI approved tactic being used on a detainee at Guantanamo Bay. The FBI agent reports observing a detainee sitting on the floor of a room with an Israeli flag draped around him, loud ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Michael Chertoff, regarding his knowledge about FBI involvement in the use of legally questionable interrogation techniques for detainees as well as the role and interest ...
This email includes a response to an FBI Inspection Division response request to all employees who observed aggressive treatment, interrogations or interview techniques during their time at Guantanamo Bay. This response states that an employee ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Pat D'Amuro, regarding his knowledge about the document exploitation group deployed to Afghanistan as well as the use of legally questionable interrogation techniques and ...
An email noting a positive response of aggressive treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The response, which is included in the email as a forward, states that a member of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime in the Critical ...
This is an email responding to an FBIHQ request. The author states that during their GTMO tenure, they witnessed aggressive treatment, interview/interrogation techniques of detainees by non-FBI Bureau personnel.
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Alice Fisher, regarding her knowledge about military detainee matters and her involvement in discussions about the release of enemy combatants from Guantanamo Bay. The ...
A cover letter enclosing material related to an October 29, 2004 request. Materials include: positive and negative responses to AD McGraw's July 9, 2004 email; one CD containing photographs; list of agents at Guantanamo Bay; an electronic ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Alice Fisher, regarding her knowledge about the CIA's interrogation techniques gained from either letters, case referrals, or advice memos.
An email regarding a forwarded letter. The letter states that the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is conducting an investigation into allegations that two FBI agents were involved in the assault of a civilian detained at the Baghdad ...
The document includes notes from interviews conducted with FBI personnel Gary Bald, regarding his knowledge of detainee interrogations and abuses as well as his role in developing guidelines for FBI conduct in detainee interrogations. He states ...
The document is a letter from the Department of Justice's Office of Inspector General to the ACLU's National Security Project, regarding the ACLU's April 22nd, 2008 FOIA request. The letter is a cover letter for summaries of interviews conducted ...