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
Summarized witness statement of a Second Lieutenant stationed at Guantanamo between February and November 2003. When asked about various allegations of abuse, the 2LT states that they had no personal knowledge of abuse or the specific allegations ...
DOD Deleted Page Information Sheet
The index lists this document as: SAC (redacted) Summarized Witness Statement
In a summarized witness statement, the Joint Interrogation Group (JIG) Chief at Guantanamo Bay discusses a variety of incidents of abuse alleged to have taken place under his command. With respect to interrogators' impersonation of FBI agents, he ...
The document sets for standard operating procedures for interrogation operations taking place at Guantanamo under the Joint Interrogation Group (JIG) of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Guantanamo Bay. It states that "[t]here is much you will be asked ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
George W. Bush
The index lists this document as: LCDR Summarized Witness Statement.
The index lists this document as: SECDEF Rescission dtd 15 Jan 03.
The index lists this document as: SECDEF Memorandum dtd 16 Apr 03 New Policy.
The index lists this document as: CDR USSOUTHCOM Memorandum dtd 2 Jun 03.
The index lists this document as: MG Dunlavey Request dtd 11 October 2002.
The index lists this document as: Gen. Hill Forward to CJCS dtd 25 October 2002.
The index lists this document as: SECDEF Approval Letter dtd 02 Dec 02.
The index lists this document as: Definition - Preponderance of the Evidence for AR 15-6
The index lists this document as: FM 34-52, Intelligence Interrogations, Cover and Table of Contents.
The index lists this document as: MG Dunlavey Summarized Witness Statement. The document is listed here as: Deferred Pending Completion of Review
This withheld document is an extract from a report from the ICRC.
The index lists this document as: Cover of AR 15-6, Procedures for Investigating Officers and Boards of Officers w/Table of Contents.
Heavily redacted memo reviewing allegations of abuse of a detainee that was turned over to the Department of Defense on May 23, 2003. On June 17, 2003, he was taken to an isolation block where one other detainee was being held. His new room had ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Cramped confinement, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Temperature
Memo from General Craddock to instructing Lt. Gen. Schmidt instructing him to to expand the AR 15-6 investigation to allegations of abuse involving a detainee whose name appears in an enclosure, and to make specific findings and recommendations ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Bantz J. Craddock
Randall Mark Schmidt
Randall Mark Schmidt, Bantz J. Craddock
Memo instructing Lt. Gen. Schmidt to expand the AR 15-6 investigation to cover the allegations of abuse mentioned in two memos, dated December 12, 2004, and February 28, 2005, sent to BG Furlow.
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Bantz J. Craddock
Randall Mark Schmidt
Bantz J. Craddock, Randall Mark Schmidt, John T. Furlow
DOD memo regarding a detainee's allegations of torture at Guantanamo between August and October 2003. The detainee turned himself over to Mauritanian authorities in November 2001 and was given to the United States in July 2002. The detainee ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault
Memorandum appointing Brigadier General John T. Furlow as the investigating officer for an AR 15-6 investigation into allegations made by the FBI regarding detainee abuse at Guantanamo. Allegations include the use of dogs, impersonation of FBI ...
Memorandum appointing Lieutenant General Randall M. Schmidt as the senior investigating officer for the AR 15-6 investigation into allegations of detainee abuse at Guantanamo. His involvement is needed for interviews of officers senior in rank to ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Bantz J. Craddock
Randall Mark Schmidt
Randall Mark Schmidt, Bantz J. Craddock, John T. Furlow
Private First Class Trefny was accused of conspiracy to assault; disobedience of a superior commissioned officer; dereliction of duty; cruelty and maltreatment of a detainee; making false statements; and aggravated assault. Specifically, he ...
June 15, 2006
Photograph, UCMJ (Court-Martial)
Jeremiah J. Trefny
Physical assault, Threat, Assault/death
List of enclosures to Schmidt-Furlow Report on AR 15-6 investigation into allegations of abuse at Guantanamo.
June 15, 2006
Chart/List
John T. Furlow | Randall Mark Schmidt
Deleted Page Information Sheet

Sargent Travis was accused of cruelty; maltreatment; attempted assault by battery; conspiracy to maltreat; and dereliction of duty. Specifically, he conspired, witnessed and encouraged electrocution of a detainee by PFC Andrew J Sting, then ...

June 15, 2006
Photograph, UCMJ (Court-Martial)
Matthew K. Travis
Physical assault, Threat, Assault/death, Use of electricity
Court Martial of LCPL Ryan S. Roberts. LCPL Roberts was charged with dereliction of duty; maltreatment of a prisoner; and holding a pistol to the head of a detainee while being photographed. He pleaded guilty to all charges and received a ...
June 15, 2006
UCMJ (Court-Martial)
Ryan S. Roberts
Use of water, Physical assault

Sargent Taylor was accused of dereliction of duty by not preventing Iraqi detainees from being abused by soldiers under his command. Specifically, detainees were locked in abandoned tanks; sprayed with fire extinguishers; and had shots fired ...

June 15, 2006
UCMJ (Court-Martial)
Alan R. Taylor
Physical assault, Threat, Assault/death
Report by Brigadier General Charles H. Jacoby into detainee operations in Afghanistan. The purpose of the report is to ensure that forces assigned to the theater of operations understand the concept of humane treatment and are providing humane ...
June 15, 2006
Oversight Report
Charles H. Jacoby
This is the verbatim record of the trial of USMC Lance Corporal Walter H. Laak who was tried for abusing detainees. He pleaded to all charges. His punishment was confinement for 120 days; Reduction to pay grade E-1; and discharge from the Marine ...
June 15, 2006
UCMJ (Court-Martial), Judicial (Transcript)
Walter H. Laak
Physical assault
Report on an informal investigation conducted by Brigadier General Richard P. Formica into specific allegations of detainee abuse within CJSOTF-AP [Combined Joint Special Operating Task Force – Arabian Peninsula] and 5th SF [Special Forces] Group ...
This memo discusses investigations and outcomes including punishment. Total of 62 cases of detainee abuse and/or death have been or are being investigated - 46 by CID and 16 at the unit level. There are a variety of cases discussed. Many have ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Thomas J. Romig
Physical assault, General, Threat, Assault/death
Discusses existence of new photos of abuse of detainees. A CD of photographs was provided by CIA to Department of Defense who forwarded it to the Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID). Some of the photographs were the Abu Ghraib ones shown ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Donald H. Rumsfeld, Janis Leigh Karpinski
Sexual, General, Sexual, Physical assault, Other Humiliation
Powerpoint presentation about Geneva Convention issues and detainee concerns.
Discusses incidents of abuse of detainees by Army personnel that have been substantiated. Legal discussion point out that Article 93 does not specifically prohibit these acts, but does prohibit cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment and intent ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, General, Assault/death, Stress positions, Use of phobias, Nudity, Sexual, Religious, Threat, Other Humiliation
Updates and supplements information paper prepared to provide information on CID investigations into allegations of abuse committed against detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan who are/were in US custody and the known disposition of cases following ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, Assault/death, Threat
Deleted Page Information Sheet
Deleted Page Information Sheet Pages
Summary of investigations into abuse of detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq. 56 incidents not in facility: 7 death investigations. (3 homicides. 1 justifiable homicide. 3 investigations pending). 19 thefts. 29 assaults. 1 sexual assualt. 141 ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, Assault/death, Threat
A detainee alleges he was burned with "hot gases" coming from a transport vehicle while he lay on his stomach in the back of the vehicle while being transported. Medical records revealed that the detainee suffered burn injuries which required ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID)
Physical assault, General, Stress positions, Cramped confinement
A detainee alleges that while in US custody he was assaulted during interrogation. The investigation established probable cause to believe detainee was assaulted during interrogations at an unknown location by unknown individuals. Detainee was ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID)
Physical assault
Detainee reported that he was arrested after US forces after a raid on his home. He states that while in detention at the Baghdad International Airport he was interrogated and claims to have been spat upon and knocked to the ground. He alleges ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID), Photograph
Physical assault, Other Humiliation
A detainee who was held in US custody claims to have been “beaten” in an unspecific manner and by persons whom he could not describe and at a location and time that could not be determined. Despite this, a thorough investigation listed the ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID)
Physical assault
This CID investigation concerns an investigation in to detainee abuse in Afghanistan. A New York Times newspaper was releasing a story on 12 May 04, concerning allegations of a Afghan Police Colonel that was alleged to be abused by U.S. Forces in ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID)
Sexual, Assault/death, Physical assault, Threat
Detainee reported that he was arrested after US forces found a weapon in his home. He was detained at Al Sijood Palace, Iraq, and it was during this detention he states he was hooded; flexicuffed; punched; kicked; yelled at; and threatened. ...
Detainee alleged that while at Abu Ghraib prison several soldiers slapped; punched; choked; struck his head, shoulders, and arms with a retractable metal baton; jumped on him; forced him to lean against a wall in a seated position; forced him to ...
A detainee claims that he was in a vehicle with other Iraqi men who possessed AK-47s. The men attempted to avoid a road-side checkpoint and were stopped by US gunfire. While the men were detained at the roadside, several Iraqi civilians began to ...
A detainee claims that after he was apprehended, but before being detained at Abu Ghraib prison, he was brought to an unknown facility (presumably the Baghdad International Airport), interrogated and beaten. The report confirmed the detainee was ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Investigative File (CID), Photograph
Physical assault, General
Deleted Page Information Sheet