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)

In this letter dated May 6, 2004, Human Rights Watch "calls, first, for the U.S. government to reveal all places of detention where security or terrorist suspects are being held on whatever grounds, and second, for it to permit independent, ...
Mar. 15, 2013
Letter
Kenneth Roth
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald H. Rumsfeld, George J. Tenet
Background paper on redacted subject sent by Stanley M. Moskowitz, Director of Congressional Affairs at the CIA. Cover letters identify recipients of paper as congressional staffers Michael W. Sheehy, Tim Sample, Al Cumming, and Bill Duhnke, and ...

A redacted March 4, 2004 non-legal memo from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). This paper "responds to an OSD request" seeking to enumerate the implications of releasing ...

Mar. 15, 2013
Non-legal Memo
Richard Butler
Amir Hamudi Hasan Al-Sadi

This article describes the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal, focusing on the photographed bodies of deceased detainees. It describes the CIA Inspector General's and DOJ's investigations into the possibility that the Abu ...

This articles describes the arrest, detainment, and interrogation of Abid Mahawish's four sons (Husam, Arkan, Qusay, Mohammed) in Iraq. The youngest brother, Mohammed, was subjected to a mock execution.

Mar. 15, 2013
Other
Abed Hamed Mowhoush, Husam Mahawish, Arkan Mahawish, Qusay Mahawish, Mohammed Mahawish

This memo from the CIA's Inspector General, John L. Helgerson, notifies members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives of investigations into the deaths of Manadal al-Jamaidi and Avid Hamad Mahawish Al-Malalawi in Iraq.

CIA copy of U.S. News & World Report article discussing the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment's Operation Rifle Blitz, which was carried out to fight Iraqi resistance in Husaybah, Karabilah, and Sadah.

Mar. 15, 2013
Other
David Teeples, Greg Reilly
This Powerpoint presentation describes U.S. strategies for "assist[ing] Iraqis in beginning investigations and prosecutions of selected major crimes by Saddam Hussein and key members of his regime" and "aid[ing] in establishing Iraqi Special ...
Mar. 15, 2013
Other
Robert G. Ulrich

 An autopsy report for Awal Gul, who died in Guantanamo Bay on February 1, 2011. This Army autopsy report concluded that his death was natural and caused by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Feb. 28, 2013
Medical (Autopsy, Death Certificate)
Awal Gul

An autopsy report for Haji Naseem (aka Inayatullah), who died in Guantanamo Bay on May 18, 2011. This Army autopsy report concluded that his death was a suicide.

Feb. 28, 2013
Medical (Autopsy, Death Certificate)
Haji Naseem

This report concerns allegations that mind-altering drugs were administered to facilitate the interrogation of detainees under DOD control between September 2001 and April 2008. The report concluded that it could not substantiate the claim ...

This heavily redacted cable discusses a meeting at Embassy Suva to discuss a relocation/asylum proposal. The memo also discusses a meeting between Ambassador McGann and New Zealand High Commissioner to Kiribati Robert Kawai to discuss assistance ...
May 15, 2012
Cable
American Embassy Suva
Secstate
C. Steven McGann
This attached fax cover sheet and letter is a response from Director Gerald Feierstein to Mr. and Mrs. Sturtevant's January 31, 2002 letter concerning the Bush Administration's policy with respect to the detention of enemy combatants captured in ...
May 15, 2012
Letter, Other
Gerald Feierstein [nid:12179]
Mr. and Mrs. Sturtevant
Gerald Feierstein, Anne Crowther
This document contains a citizen's letter to President Bush voicing disapproval that Afghan prisoners are not treated like prisoners of war and includes an attached article from the San Francisco Chronicle. The document also contains an August ...
May 15, 2012
Letter
George W. Bush
Anne Crowther
This February 7, 2002 memorandum announces to the vice president, secretary of state, attorney general, CIA director, and others that the President accepts the legal conclusions of the Department of Justice that the Geneva Conventions do not ...
May 15, 2012
Non-legal Memo
George W. Bush
Richard B. Cheney
Colin L. Powell, Condoleeza Rice, Jay B. Stephens, Andrew Card, George J. Tenet, Richard B. Myers
This document contains a chart labeled "Detainees-Limited Access" from the National Security Council Distribution Receipt West Wing Desk. The chart contains a list of government officials under the "addressee" column.
This series of letters contains the original inquiry from Macbeth Bertrand Henry, President of the Commission on Children's Rights about juvenile detainees in Guantanamo Bay prison. The response letter from Pierre-Richard Prosper asserts that ...
May 15, 2012
Letter
Pierre-Richard Prosper
Macbeth Bertrand-Henry

A State Department memo addressing whether Article 16 of the Convention Against Torture applies to the CIA's interrogations in foreign countries. The State Department determined that the prohibitions against torture do apply, despite its ...

This documents the interview of Detainee 269 at GTMO on 5/4/06. It states that Detainee 269 was interviewed in an air conditioned room with his hands free and his feet shackled to a bolt in the floor. The synopsis states that the purpose of the ...
Nov. 01, 2011
Interview (Summaries/Notes)
Other
This document is a FBI Situation Report for FBI Detachment in Afghanistan (6/25/04). It contains logistical information about FBI presence as well as detainee information, summaries of detainee interviews, and updates about FBI missions ...
This document is a FBI Situation Report for FBI Detachment in Afghanistan (6/23/04). It contains logistical information about FBI presence as well as detainee information, summaries of detainee interviews, and updates about FBI missions ...
DOS Cable from the US Embassy New Deli, India to DOS Washington re: Media Reactions June 10-12, 2006. The Cable includes a summary of media reactions under the following headings: Guantánamo Bay- "US is under pressure to defend 3 jail suicides", ...
DOS Cable from the US Embassy New Delhi, India to DOS Washington, re: Media Reactions June 17-19, 2006. The Cable includes sixteen (16) news articles from Indian New outlets and features the headline Global War on Terror, with several news ...
This DOS Cable from U.S. Geneva Mission to DOS Washington contains a letter from Special Rapporteurs regarding the health and detention conditions of Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility detainees, and specifically, Samil al-Haj, a national of Sudan ...
Oct. 28, 2011
Legal Memo, Cable, Letter
Samil Al-Haj
This DOS Cable from the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan to the DOS Washington describes the Pakistani news coverage of matters concerning US policy, and matters of interest to the US government for August 2006.
This document is a State Department Cable to Embassies discussing the apparent suicide of three (3) Guantanamo Bay detainees on June 10, 2006. The Detainees: Yasser Al Zahrani; Mana Shaman Allabardi Al Tabi; and Ali Abdullah Ahmed each apparently ...
This DOS letter concerns the DOS's Accountability Review Board Review inquiry in to the Deaths of seven (7) Personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Oct. 28, 2011
Letter, Other
Harry K. Thompson
This DOS Cable from the US Mission Geneva to DOS Washington contains a letter from Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Philip Alston, regarding the June 10, 2006 death of Guantanamo Bay detainee Ahmed Ali ...
Oct. 28, 2011
Legal Memo, Cable, Letter
Ali Abdullah Ahmed, Yasser Al Zahrani, Mana Shaman Allabardi Al Tabi
This Cable from DOS Washington to the US Mission in Geneva, Switzerland contains a letter from US Sec. of State Colin Powell to the human rights group Amnesty International regarding detainees held by the US government at Guantanamo Bay Detention ...
Oct. 28, 2011
Cable, Letter
Colin L. Powell
This DOS Cable from the DOS Washington to the US Mission Geneva, Switzerland contains a communication to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This is the US's reply to ICRC's notes verbale of Jan 6, 2004 and Mar 25, 2004 and its ...
Oct. 28, 2011
Cable, Letter
Kevin Edward Moley
This DOS Cable from the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan to the DOS Washington describes the Pakistani news coverage of matters concerning US policy and matters of interest to the US government for January 11, 2006. Specifically, the Cable ...
This DOS Cable from the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan to the DOS Washington describes the Pakistani news coverage of matters concerning US policy and matters of interest to the US government for January 8-10, 2011. Specifically, the Cable ...
DOS Cable from the US Embassy Paris, France to DOS Washington re: Media Reactions June 10-12, 2006. This DOS Cable contains the following subjects covered in the French Press: 1) Guantanamo Suicides; 2) Middle East - Israeli Strikes - Hamas; 3) ...
This DOS Cable contains thirty-nine (39) news articles from Pakistani news papers that concern the DOS and cover issues pertaining to US interests for June 10-12, 2006. Summary of media reactions under the following headings: Aid cut to Pakistan, ...
This is a DOS Cable from the US Embassy New Delhi, India to DOS Washington re: Media Reactions, June 12, 2006. The Cable contains a summary of media reactions and includes the heading; Triple suicide at Guantánamo.
This is a DOS Cable from the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with letters exchanged between the family of a Saudi detainee and US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia James C. Oberwetter. The letter from Abdulaziz Suleiman al-Rubaish, brother of a ...
Oct. 28, 2011
Cable, Letter
James C. Oberwetter
Yasser Al Zahrani, Mana Shaman Allabardi Al Tabi, Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh al Hanashi
This DOS Cable from the US Embassy Damascus, Syria concerns the media reaction in Damascus to US policy and other matters, June 2006.
This DOS Cable from the US Embassy Kuwait to the DOS Washington describes the effort to establish a boarder crossing between Kuwait & Iraq, near Camp Bucca. The Cable describes the interest of Kuwaiti and Iraqi government officials to increase ...
This DOS Cable is to the US Mission in Geneva Switzerland to respond to the human rights organization Amnesty International with a letter describing the US position concerning the detention & treatment of detainees in the War on Terror.
This DOS Cable is from the US Embassy in Damascus, Syria to the DOS Washington with a summary of media reactions in Damascus to US policies & other matters.
This DOS Cable is from the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan to the DOS Washington with a summary of media reactions in Islamabad US policies & other matters.
This is a Cable from the US Mission Geneva about a letter and Questionnaire they received from five (5) special rapporteurs conducting an investigation on Guantanamo detainees. The questionnaire contains forty-five (45) questions under the ...
This DOS Cable is from the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan to the DOS Washington with a summary of media reactions in Pakistan to US policies & other matters.
This DOS Cable is from the US Embassy in Brussels, Belgium to the DOS Washington with a summary of media reactions in Brussels US policies & other matters.
This DOS Cable is from the US Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan to the DOS Washington with a summary of media reactions in Islamabad US policies & other matters.
This DOS Cable is from the US Embassy in Damascus, Syria to the DOS Washington with a summary of media reactions in Damascus to US policies & other matters.
This document is a Department of State Congressional Correspondence Tasker.
Oct. 28, 2011
Legal Memo
Paul V. Kelly
Paul V. Kelly
This letter from Sen. Patrick Leahy to Secretary of State Colin Powell requests information concerning the arrest, detention & interrogation of persons captured in the War on Terror since September 11, 2001.
Oct. 28, 2011
Letter
Senator, Patrick Leahy
Secretary of State, Colin Powell
Patrick Leahy, Colin L. Powell
This DOS Cable to the US Mission, Geneva, Switzerland outlining the US position concerning the care, treatment & transfer of detainees captured and detained in the War on Terror and are in US custody.
Oct. 28, 2011
Cable
Kim R. Holmes
Kim R. Holmes, George W. Bush
This document is a Department of State (DOS) Cable from the Austrian Embassy to DOS discussing Austrian media highlights. This Cable discusses the suicide of three (3) Guantanamo Bay detainees on June 10, 2006, as well as other matters related to ...
Oct. 28, 2011
Cable
Yasser Al Zahrani, Mana Shaman Allabardi Al Tabi, Ali Abdullah Ahmed