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 07, 2004 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6576
This letter from Goldsmith to Muller addresses the use of interrogation techniques on a certain high-value detainee and is a follow-up to 2 previous memos approving 33 techniques (an OLC memo approved 9 and a memo from Secretary Rumsfeld approved ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo, Letter
Jack Goldsmith
Scott Muller
Jack L. Goldsmith, Scott W. Muller, John A. Rizzo, Jay Bybee, John Ashcroft, Donald H. Rumsfeld, James B. Comey
July 08, 2004 | CID | ACLU-RDI 92
CID Report of investigation into detainee's allegations of abuse while in U.S. custody at Mosul Airport, Iraq, over three day period. The detainee claimed to have sustained a bruise to his left shoulder and scratched during his capture. Once in ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Investigative File (CID)
Jacqueline J. Scott, John Peterson
Use of water, Water dousing, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Walling, General, Threat, Assault/death, Family/others, Sleep deprivation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Temperature, Hooding/Goggling
July 08, 2004 | DON | ACLU-RDI 537
This US Marine Corp spreadsheet lists twenty-one (21) cases of alleged detainee abuse. The table of cases includes ten (10) substantiated incidents and eleven (11) unsubstantiated incidents. The incidents include: beating detainees with fists; ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Chart/List
Physical assault, Sexual, General, Threat, Assault/death, Use of electricity
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