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
July 08, 2004 | USAF | ACLU-RDI 2466
This memo details how a Staff Sergeant took photos of himself standing with his rifle with his left foot propped on the detainee's buttocks, who is lying in the sand with hands bound behind his back and a sack covering his head. Photo was taken ...
June 30, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, Other Humiliation
July 08, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 2535
Sworn statement by a commander of [redacted]. Refers to allegations of detainee abuse. Notes, "A detainee died at the 3rd ACR detention facility. I told all of my guys to be extremely careful with the treatment of detainees because they could be ...
July 08, 2004 | CRIM | ACLU-RDI 2754

Fax redacted. Refers to attachment revised from OLC.

Oct. 15, 2004
Letter
David E. Nahmias
Christopher A. Wray | John Richter | Bruce Swartz | Laura Parsky | Patrick Rowan | Barry Sabin | Teresa L. McHenry
David E. Nahmias, Christopher A. Wray, John Richter, Bruce Swartz, Laura H. Parsky, Patrick Rowan, Barry Sabin, Teresa L. McHenry
July 08, 2004 | CRIM | ACLU-RDI 2768
Refers to Draft OLC opinion. All other info redacted.
Oct. 15, 2004
Email
David E. Nahmias
Patrick Rowan | John Richter | Laura Parsky | Bruce Swartz | Christopher A. Wray
David E. Nahmias, Patrick Rowan, John Richter, Laura H. Parsky, Bruce Swartz, Christopher A. Wray
July 08, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3879
Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs re: Swedish Citizen at Guantanamo Base Released
July 08, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 4040
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.
Dec. 30, 2004
Other
Sharon E. Ahmad
July 08, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4293
DOS Cover Sheet re: Summary of Conclusions for PC Meeting on Detainees 7/1/04
July 08, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 5890
This document is a Department of State Congressional Correspondence Tasker.
Oct. 28, 2011
Legal Memo
Paul V. Kelly
Paul V. Kelly
July 07, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 2547
Sworn statement by an individual who was present at an interrogation. Refers to a detainee who alleged that he had been abused, "stripped, had a bag placed over his head, and was burned on the foot with a cigarette and hit on the side of his ...
June 30, 2006
Interview (Statement)
Physical assault, Use of electricity, Environmental manipulation, Hooding/Goggling
July 07, 2004 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 2718

Refers to FBI Caproni draft testimony for a 07-14-04 hearing re the Critical Need for Interrogation in the Global War on Terrorism. No attachments provided. Text entirely redacted.

Oct. 15, 2004
Email
Deborah J. Clifton
Jack L. Goldsmith | Betty Lofton | Patricia Massie | Julie Samuels | James A. McAtamney | Ethan Kanter | Patrick Philbin | Rachel Brand | Matt Dummermuth | Robert J. Faurot | Winnie Brinkley | Daniel B. Levin | Steven G. Bradbury
Valerie E. Caproni, Renee Lerner, Dyone Mitchell, Lawan Robinson, George Smith