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.
Press release of trancript of Secretary of State Colin L. Powell On BBC TV with Huw Edwards. Sec. Powell discusses Iraq; Abu Ghraib prison abuse; and the President Bush & UK PM Blair relationship.
Press release from the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding the "chaos" in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq. The ICRC urgently appeals to the Coalition forces and all other persons in authority to do everything possible to protect ...
Press release/declaration by International Committee of the Red Cross' President, Jakob Kellenberger regarding the ICRC's position on the Iraq crisis.
Mr. Kellenberger reminds the U.S., Iraq and the U.K. of their obligations under the Geneva ...
This document is a State Department press release of a press conference held by State Department Spokesman David Boucher concerning issues on the Middle-East peace progress with the Israelis and Palestinians, specifically discussing Yassar ...
Press release from Sweden's Ministry for Foreign Affairs announcing the release of a Swedish citizen who had been held at Guantanamo for over two years.
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 ...
International Herald Tribune article by Johan Steyn entitled "Guantanamo: A Monstrous Failure of Justice" that is a report on a speech Lord Steyn gave at the 27th F.A. Mann Lecture. Lord Steyn condemns US treatment of detainees at Guantanamo.
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 ...
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 ...
American Bar Association Resolution re: Independent Human Rights Monitors for all Non-U.S. Detainees Held in U. S. Custody. The resolution recommends that the U.S. ensure access by the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN ...
White House Press Release on the status of detainees at Guantanamo with a fact sheet from the on the treatment, housing, access and medical treatment of detainees. The press release makes a specific point of stating "neither the Taliban nor ...
This document is a US Army Press Release of August 16, 2004. the Press Release discussing a new review process that incorporates the interim Iraqi government's Ministries of Justice, Interior and Human Rights.
Address from Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to the Biennial Conference of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in Berlin, Germany on August 27, 2004. The address discusses, generally, global terrorist attacks with ...
UN News Centre article reporting a UN experts findings after visiting an "illegal prison" in Afghanistan. The expert reported that the detainees were originally detained by the Northern Alliance and some U.S. forces, he reported that the ...
Radio Free Asia article about twenty-two Chinese-origin ethnic Uyghur detainees (they are a minority Muslim population in China) being held in Guantanamo. The article discusses allegations that the Uyghur detainees were abused/mistreated by a ...
Roundtable interview with Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell. On May 26. 2004, Mr. Powell answered a series of questions from journalists regarding allegations of detainee abuse in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.
Press release entitled "Government Accepts Military Commissions for Guantanamo Bay Detainees" concerning the matter of David Hicks, an Australian accused of being a Taliban fighter and held in Guantanamo
DOS Daily Press Briefing conducted by Richard Boucher, with Q&A's from the press corps at the briefing. Subjects covered: Assistant Secretary Beth Jones, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs recent trip to the countries of ...
DOS Daily Press Briefing Index. Lists topics to be discussed: Terrorism - Detainees at Guantanamo/Geneva Convention/International Committee for the Red Cross/Australian Situation Terrorist List; Mexico - General's release from prison; Venezuela - ...
Gene Dewey, State Department Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration forwarded this news article about an Army reservist loved by Iraqi detainees for her kindness to Richard Boucher as an example of "Good News" about ...
Theo van Boven, U.N. Special Rapporteur issued press release expressing concern about reports of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of Iraqi detainees by United States of America and United Kingdom military forces serving ...
DOJ Fact Sheet discussing their investigation of terrorist organizations and groups since 9/11/2001. Also, the fact sheet explains the necessity for withholding the names, dates, and locations of arrest of detainees.
Press release from the Office of the White House Press Secretary, discussing the status of Taliban and Al-Qaeda detainees at Guantanamo. The press release outlines that detainees are not POWs and while they will be treated humanely and in ...
ICRC Press Release regarding a meeting between the President of the ICRC, Jakob Kellneberger and Colin L. Powell. It states that during Kellenberger's meeting with government officials, the ICRC president will review in particular the situation ...
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Press Release summarizing a meeting between ICRC Kellenberger and DOS officials, including Colin L. Powell. It notes that Kellenberger, in his meetings with Powell, Rice and Wolfowitz, "lamented the ...
This is an article published in the Agence France-Presse concerning the release from Guantanamo of twenty-three (23) Afghanis back to Afghanistan and their journey back to their homes.