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)

Response to attorneys for ACLU re: FOIA request. Attaches explanation of exemptions. Letter from Navy NCIS to Jennifer Ching of Gibbons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione, attorneys for the ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter ...
May 15, 2006
Letter, Judicial
Jason L. Jones
Jason L. Jones
Navy Criminal Investigative Service Officer asks about two brothers who were held in Iraq stating that when he saw them they looked "pretty shaken up (shivering from cold and laying on concrete all night). It appeared they had gone through a few ...
May 15, 2006
Email
General, Temperature, Physical assault, Environmental manipulation
USMC Investigation into incident of abuse where a superior officer ordered a subordinates to take a detainees’ money, strip them naked to their underwear and release them in their underwear. Some soldiers protested. Investigator recommends ...
May 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo, Investigative File
John F. Kelly
Threat, Assault/death, Nudity
U.S. Marine Corps investigation into death of Awayed Wanas Jabar. Jabar was taken in to custody on April 17, 2004. He sustained a head injury in an escape attempt. A doctor examined him and said he was “OK”. A guard witnessed Jabar take his ...
May 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo, Investigative File
James N. Mattis
Walid Tawfiq Jabar
Stress positions, Other
On June 23, 2003 Marines detained four Iraqi men for looting. The men were searched, stripped of their clothes (except for their shoes and underwear), and then released. On June 28, 2003 fired upon and disabled a truck that attempted to speed ...
May 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo, Investigative File
Henry P. Osman
Henry P. Osman, William A. Navas, Jr
Physical assault, General, Nudity
An inquiry in to the abuse of a detainee taken in to custody after a raid on a residence by the U.S. Marine Corps 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines (2/2). The captured Iraqi alleged that he was verbally and physically abused during the course of ...
May 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo, Investigative File
Physical assault, General, Other Humiliation
During a raid, jointly conducted by U.S. Marine Corps personnel with the 24th MEU (SOC) and Iraqi National Guards (INGs), a weapons cache was found. It was alleged that ING personnel slapped the owner of the home during an interrogation and shot ...
May 15, 2006
Investigative File
Physical assault, General, Threat, Assault/death
These emails are between US government officials who traveled to Baghdad together and were preparing a report on their observations and the allegations of detainee abuse. One of the authors states that there were three (3) "probably true/valid" ...
Apr. 24, 2006
Email
Physical assault

This DOD cable discusses an article in the Irish Times that links flights from Shannon Airport to the flights detainees were placed on for transport and possible rendition. The Irish Times called them "Detainee Torture Flights". The ...

This one page document is an index of documents produced by the DOD and the date produced.
A DIA Official who toured through Iraq from October 28, 2003 through April 21, 2004 was interviewed about his knowledge of the abuse allegations at Abu Ghraib prison. The official stated that he visited Abu Ghraib on two (2) occasions and did not ...
Apr. 24, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Antonio Taguba, Ricardo Sanchez
This cable describes the request and process for releasing Iraqi detainees to the Iraqi officials and police to handle the detainees going forward. The standard is whether the Iraqis pose a threat to US and Coalition forces. This document is ...

This appears to be portions of a draft of the report by Army Inspector General Mikolashek on detainee abuse at US facilities overseas. Portions of this report were made public and published. The pages contained herein correspond to pages 16 ...

The report of the Army Inspector General (DAIG) follows up on the Taguba report that made findings against BG Karpinski. The DAIG investigations gave Karpinski a chance to review and rebut the report. The DAIG then gave Major Taguba a chance to ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Oversight Report
Janis Leigh Karpinski, Antonio Taguba
Document by Army Inspector General assessing the training of army reserve units on Law of Land Warfare, Detainee Treatment Requirements, Ethics and Leadership. The report states that the "way ahead" for the Army Reserve is to nurture and preserve ...
This is a collection of information related to detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib and the role of the reserve component of the Army.
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
James R. Helmly
Press Reports re: General Karpinski's Role in the Detainee Abuse Scandal and the Fall-out May 2004
Army Newpaper The Call: Issue September - October 2002
Report with observations and assessment of operations at detainee collection points in Afghanistan. This is Chapter 3: Operational Intelligence; Topic D: Collection.
Report with observations and assessment of operations at detainee collection points in Afghanistan. This is Chapter 9: Public Affairs; Topic A: Providing Public Affairs.
Army Newspaper The Call September - October 2002 Issue Artice by CPT Richard J. Hughbank, 519th MP Bn, Ft Polk, LA, and MAJ Jennifer L. Curry, Total Force Integrator, Ft Leonard Wood, MO. The Article is entitled "The Detainee Personal ...
These are notes and observations on Operation Iraqi Freedom from the JRTC Fire Support team while in the CENTCOM AOR during OPERATIONS Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom from May 31 - June 13, 2003.
Army Newspaper: Military Review Atricle re: Military Commissions, Past and Future written by Lieutenant Colon.el Jody Prescott, U.S. Army, and Major Joanne Eldridge, U.S. Army Reserve.
Army Public Affairs memo on how to address the public release of the Jones-Fay report on the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The memo states that all questions or "queries specific to the findings of the report, and requests to interview the ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Ricardo Sanchez, George R. Fay, Paul J. Kern, Anthony R. Jones
Army Presentation re: Geneva and Hague Convention PowerPoint Presentation Briefing for the 427th Support Battalion.
Army Memo on the Current Prison Investigations list of seven investigations into allegations of abuse at Guantanamo, Bagram, Abu Ghraib, Army Reserve: Training, and Worldwide.
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Donald H. Rumsfeld, Ricardo Sanchez, Antonio Taguba, George R. Fay, James R. Helmly
A deleted-page information sheet from the DOD in response to the ACLU's FOIA request. The DOD notes that bates pages 244-267 and pages 276-281 are non-responsive and have been removed from this submission (Mounted Brigade Combat Team TACSOP).
Soldier Training Manual ST 3-90.33: Mounted Brigade Combat Team TACSO; Handling EPW's and Captured Material
Deleted Page Information Sheet - Mounted Brigade Combat Team (TACSOP)
This is a U.S. Army Foreign Claims form for monetary compensation. The claimant is an Iraqi citizen whose son was shot and killed by U.S. forces. Claimant states his son was a night patrol guard in Annana Village, and on July 16, 2003, U.S. ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Legal Memo, Letter, Other
General, Physical assault
This is a U.S. Army Foreign Claims form for monetary compensation. The claimant is an Iraqi citizen whose father was arrested in Iraq by U.S. forces, taken to Abu Ghraib prison and died while in custody. He claims that the body of his father was ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Legal Memo, Letter
Physical assault, Other
This document is a completed Claim form by family of an Iraqi citizen who died in U.S. custody. The gentleman was arrested on April 25, 2003. On November 11, 2004, the family visited him at Baghdad International Airport (BIAP) and his health was ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Legal Memo, Letter
Physical assault
Coalition Provisional Authority blank documents including Apprehension Form, Table of Maximum Pre-Trial detention, processing forms, Powerpoint presentation on interview techniques, rules for the use of force.
Only cover page is provided. No explanation of why rest of document is withheld.
Army Field Manual - FM 34-25: Corps Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Operations. Only cover page is provided.
DOD Medical Form: History and Physical Exam Form - Blank
DOD: Routine Medical Exam Form - Blank
Detainee Transfer Form - Blank
This document is the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the camp Duke, Iraq detainee holding facility. The memo states that: Detainees will be treated with respect and dignity. No personnel in the facilities will be allowed to humiliate any ...
This Army memo issued by the 2nd Armored Cavalry Headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq sets out minimum standards for the handling and treatment of detainees. The memo specifically states "Detainees will be treated by all forces with personal dignity and ...
Email between Army officers regarding detainee operations and the need for getting "the right people" in theater.
Training Guidance For Units Performing Internment and Detainment Operations: re Operation Iraqi Freedom. General and specific instruction on handling and managing detainees and the duties of US soldiers when performing such duties.
This email has an attachment entitled " Detainee Ops 24 Aug. doc." (attachment not included) and the comment "Sir, MG Burns asked for an electronic copy of this response to send forward ... have attached." this is by a Lieutenant Colonel, G3 ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Email
Julian H. Burns
US Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) paper on how training has changed since release of Abu Ghraib pictures. Training guidance was changed to incorporate specific training of Geneva Conventions, Law of War, and reporting violations on Law of War.
These emails concern the training of forces pre-deployment in the proper manner to handle detainees in the Blakans.
This email forwards information concerning the UN-KFOR experience in Kosovo and the lessons learned from that military engagement as it pertains to training soldiers on handling detainee operations, and the proper way to recognize and report ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Email
Romie Leslie Brownlee, Peter Schoomaker