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)

State Department cable stating that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters are enemy combatants and will not be afforded the Geneva Conventions, but will be treated humanely and in accordance with the principles of the Geneva Convention. "The U.S. is ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
George W. Bush, Colin L. Powell
On 02/11/02 declarant noticed abuse. During a medical exam, instead of a medical personnel, one of the MPs conducted an anal probe on detainee. "He was a large man. Without warning the EPW [Enemy Prisoner of War], and in a cruel way he pushed ...
Dec. 21, 2005
Investigative File, Interview (Transcript)
Physical assault, Sexual
This State Department cable provides talking points concerning informing foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan. The information is on the ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Brent E. Blaschke
Colin L. Powell, Brent E. Blaschke , Debra L. Cagan, John B. Bellinger, III
State Department memo from Daveid Bowker to Beverly Holman to "Prepare ALDAC cable to NSC under cover of a Harty-Biegun memo."
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
Beverly S. Holman
David W. Bowker
David W. Bowker, Beverly S. Holman
DOS Memo re: Talking Points on International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) Report on the Treatment of Guantanamo Detainees. The memo is to address the question of whether the U.S. will release the ICRC report. The answer is "No" because it ...
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.
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
David W. Bowker | Edward R. Cummings
Charles L. Daris, David W. Bowker, Edward R. Cummings
State Department cable discusses various activities taking place within Canada's political system. Activities include, an application of pressure from Ottawa, hoping to sway the U.S. government to follow the policies of the Geneva Conventions in ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Sharon E. Ahmad
State Department cable concerning the applicability of the Geneva Conventions to the Guantanamo detainees. The cable states that a determination on the legal status of the Guantanamo detainees and the applicability of the Geneva conventions to ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
George W. Bush, Colin L. Powell
This State Department Cable is entitled "Subject: February 11 Transfer of Detainees to Guantanamo". There is no other discernible information or context.
This State Department cable provides talking points concerning informing foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan. It also states that the U.S. ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Brent E. Blaschke
Colin L. Powell, Brent E. Blaschke