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)

Letter from Douglas Davidson, U.S. Deputy Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) re: Revelations of Abuse and Humiliation of Iraqi Detainees by U.S. & Coalition forces in Iraq. Amb. Davidson expressed ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Douglas Davidson
George W. Bush, Geoffrey D. Miller, Mark Traecey Patrick Kimmitt, Douglas Davidson
State Department memo on treatment of detainees in Iraq during the U.S. occupation. This is a talking points memo to address concerns and questions about the U.S. role, commitment and treatment of certain persons in accordance with international ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
George W. Bush
This State Department cable is to assist the U.S. Mission in Geneva in addressing a report by the Acting U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights that was critical of the U.S. role, action in Iraq and the U.S. commitment to its international ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
This is a cable to the U.S. Mission in Geneva, forwarding letters received by U.N. Representatives Theo van Boven, Leandro Despouy and Paul Hunt. The letters from Messrs.’ Boven, Despouy and Hunt focus on the treatment of detainees and the ...
Fax cover sheet from Beth Ryley to U.S. Mission to International Organizations re: fax received from the Chairperson of the 1 Vh meeting of rapporteurs addressed to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Beth Ryley
Colin L. Powell
Fax cover sheet from Soussen Azarakhchi to U.S. Mission re attached letter to Powell from Boven.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Emmanuelle Gilland | Soussan Raadi-Azarakhchi
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Letter from Theo van Boven as Chairperson of the Eleventh Meeting of Mandate Holders to Sec. of State Colin Powell re: Special Rapporteurs/Representatives statement.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Theo van Boven
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Statement from Rapporteurs asking to visit detainees detained on grounds of alleged terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and elsewhere. Next to elsewhere, handwritten note: "Russia and China, Pakistan and Egypt."
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Theo van Boven
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
This State Department cable is from the U.S. Mission to Geneva to Washington with the contents of a letter sent by Theo van Boven in his capacity as Chairperson of the 11th meeting of Special Rapporteurs/Representatives. The correspondence is to ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell, Kevin Edward Moley
Letter from U.S. Amb. Moley to U.N. Representative Fernanco Mendez, Chairperson of the Committee Agaist Torture re: Second Periodic Report on the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Kevin Edward Moley
Fernanco Menedez
Kevin Edward Moley