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
Dec. 08, 2003 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3955
Letter from Nury A. Turkel, General Secretary, Uyghur American Association to Secretary of State Colin Powell requesting that the U.S. not returning the Uyghurs to China out of concern that they will be subject to persecution and torture. Mr. ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Nury A. Turkel
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Dec. 08, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3975
DOS Cover Sheet re: Summary of Conclusions for Principals Committee Meeting on Detainees 12/4/03
Dec. 08, 2003 | CIA | ACLU-RDI 5108

CIA copy of U.S. News & World Report article discussing the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment's Operation Rifle Blitz, which was carried out to fight Iraqi resistance in Husaybah, Karabilah, and Sadah.

Mar. 15, 2013
Other
David Teeples, Greg Reilly
Dec. 06, 2003 | CID | ACLU-RDI 5167
Letter from the Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command to John L. Helgerson, CIA Inspector General requesting assistance in investigating the death of Abed Hamed Mowhoush. Specifically, the letter requests "assistance in ...
Jan. 14, 2014
Letter
John L. Helgerson
John L. Helgerson
Abed Hamed Mowhoush
Dec. 05, 2003 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 2911
Email forwarding an FBI electronic communication up the chain of command. Email states "I am forwarding this EC up the. CTD chain of command. MLDU requested this information be documented to protect the FBI. MLDU has had a long standing and ...
Dec. 15, 2004
Email
Frankie Battle | Thomas J. Harrington | Arthur M. Cummings, II
Frankie Battle, Thomas J. Harrington, Arthur M. Cummings, II
Dec. 05, 2003 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 3156
The author of the email is informing Frankie Battle that DOD interrogators have been impersonating FBI agents during their interrogastions. He/she states that "DOD interrogators [have been] impersonating Supervisory Special Agents of the ...
Dec. 15, 2004
Email
Gary M. Bald | Frankie Battle | Arthur M. Cummings, II
Manipulation of interrogator’s identity
Dec. 05, 2003 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 3361
The author of the email expresses his/her concern over the impersonation of FBI SSAs by DoD interrogators. Noting that if the information regarding the treatment/interrogation of detainees is made public, the FBI "DOD interrogators will not be ...
May 18, 2005
Email
Frankie Battle | Arthur M. Cummings, II | Gary M. Bald
Arthur M. Cummings, II, Frankie Battle, Thomas J. Harrington
Dec. 05, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4412
State Department cable with a letter from Sec. Powell's response to inquiry regarding the welfare of two men detaineed at Guantanamo Bay. The points Sec. Powell makes concerning the proposed trial of any accused held at Guantanamo are: there is a ...
Dec. 23, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Dec. 04, 2003 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 1112
Describes two incidents of detainee abuse. One was assault and threat to kill a detainee. Second was assault by four soldiers from 320 battalion.
May 16, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Michael J. Marchand
Dec. 04, 2003 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 1115
Details abuse of Iraqi detainee at Gunner Collection Point. During interrogation of detainee, an Army officer threatened to shoot detainee. Held detainee's head in barrel and shot into the barrel. Discusses Article 32 investigation.
May 16, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, General, Assault/death, Threat