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.
Powerpoint presentation given by MG Donald J. Ryder, Provost Marshal General. Includes observations and recommendations on how to treat detainees in Abu Ghraib.
Powerpoint presentation providing "a proposed way-ahead to develop policies that govern how the Army/units/Soldiers handle detainees from point of capture to conviction or release, to include a review of common task training and specialized MP ...
Emails discuss an attached PowerPoint (ppt.) on enemy POW detention and interrogation, the ppt. was forwarded to different recipients.
[PowerPoint slides not attached].
Emails discuss request for information (RFI) Summaries. In the attached document it reads that the first task is to identify the parties with knowledge of the blunt force trauma and injuries sustained by the Iraqi Major General detainee.
The ...
The email includes a PowerPoint slide entitled "CID Detainee Summary." The chart states there are 83 detainee abuse investigations, 28 of the abuse cases involve detainee death investigations.
A deleted-page information sheet from the DOD in response to the ACLU's FOIA request. The DOD notes in the sheet that pages, 15853-15869, were referred to CID on March 1, 2006 for further review.
The original email includes an attachment entitled "5-25 daily update." The document is attached in the email, the subject of the document is OPMG Operations.
The emails discuss an attached document entitled "Tasking Summary Sheet" (the sheet is attached). The sheet includes a summary of reported violations in Iraq.
Emails discuss a "HASC murder board." The emails are heavily redacted. An attached document contains an operations update for the Secretary of Defense.
A deleted-page information sheet from the DOD in response to the ACLU's FOIA request. The DOD notes it withheld photographs, bates pages 15877-15884, pursuant to FOIA exemptions.
The original email contains four attachments, including photos from Abu Ghraib (the photos are not included in this document). The "Tasking Summary" is included in the email, its subject is entitled "Investigations." The Summary mentions a final ...
Emails discuss a briefing to the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. The significant points from the briefing are attached and included in the email; included in the points is a discussion of whether any team member observed detainee abuse at ...
The emails discuss a necessary pre-brief before the personnel debrief the U.S. House of Representatives-House of Armed Services Committee (HASC). The attached and included document outlines of presentation by BG Swan, MG Ryder and MG Romig on ...
Email includes two attachments. One attachment, the information paper, provides background on the Army as Executive Agent (EA) for detainee operations. The second attachment, provides talking points on the Army as the EA for detainee operations ...
The email references two attached documents. The first document, entitled "EXSUM," discusses photographic evidence of abuse at Abu Ghraib. The document states that the CID identified and confiscated twelve CDs of pictures, which depict a variety ...
Emails reference an attached document entitled "Detainee Abuse Tasking Summary." The document details the investigation activities of the Office of the Provost Marshall General.
Emails reference an attached document entitled "Tasking Summary #10 (12 May 04)." The document summarizes the investigation activities of the CID. The summary mentions CID's possession of CDs and videos relating to Abu Ghraib detainee ...
Email references a document entitled "Information Paper on PMG vice CID." The document discusses the Office of the Provost Marshall General's (OPMG) current and future operations. The document also includes a timeline of operational support the ...
Emails reference two attached documents entitled "Tasking Summary Sheet #13" and "CID Detainee Unit Investigations Summary 14 May 04."
[Documents are not included in the document].
Emails reference three request for information documents. The attached documents discuss the U.S. Army's role and responsibilities for enemy prisoner of war and detainees.
Emails refer to an attachment - "EXSUM - DODIG [Department of Defense Office of Inspector General] & DOJ and request for cases." [Document is not included].
Email refers to an attached document that discusses internment operations and law of war training. A particular paragraph in the document outlines the Army's rules/guidelines, stating soldiers do not kill or torture enemy prisoners.
Emails refer to a Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) document related to an independent panel to review DOD detention operations and an Office of the Provost Marshall General (PMG) task summary sheet.
Email includes a presentation entitled "Deaths of Detainees Under US Military Control." The presentation states that as of May 19, 2004, there have been 63 detainee deaths: 58 deaths in Iraq and 5 in Afghanistan. The 58 deaths in Iraq were ...
Email refers to a proposed press release from the Commanding General discussing the detainee death and abuse investigations. [The press release is attached, the first page of the attachment is blank]. The press release explains that there are ...
Email includes two proposed copies of Donald J. Ryder's briefing to the Senate Arms Service Committee. One of the briefings is enclosed, it mentions that there are 69 CID investigations, forty-two of the sixty-nine cases involved incidents that ...
Emails discuss detainee abuse investigations. One email asks how many abuses have been reported and how many investigations have been initiated? The Taguba report is also mentioned. Also, a document discussing the operations of the Office of the ...
Email includes charts, which summarize detainee deaths that have occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan. The charts list the case number, manner of death, and whether an investigation is pending. One chart lists eight homicides in Iraq.
Email includes a document discussing the Office of the Provost Marshall General's (OPMG) operations. Activities of the office include 33 CID investigations with 37 dead victims.
Email includes charts, which summarize detainee deaths that have occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan. The charts list the case number, manner of death, and whether an investigation is pending. One chart lists six unnatural/homicides in Iraq.
Email includes a document entitled "Allegations of Mistreatment of Iraqi Prisoners." The document contains questions and answers from a May 7, 2004 senate hearing, it states that 122 people are under investigation in 56 detainee death and abuse ...
Email includes a "Briefing to Senate Arm Service Committee." It is a briefing on the actions taken by the CID in response to allegations of detainee abuse and deaths.
The briefing explains that there are nine death cases still "active pending ...
Emails discuss the Criminal Investigation Command's (CID) interview of a Sergeant with the 372nd Military Police Company regarding allegations of detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib. One of the emails seeks to learn whether the Sergeant reported abuse ...