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 26, 2003 | DON | ACLU-RDI 656
Marine Corps inquiry in to alleged detainee abuse based on statements related by medical personnel. The medical personnel claim the Marine being investigated stated that he injured his hand while punching a detainee. The inquiry found that it was ...
Sept. 22, 2004 | DON | ACLU-RDI 657
Two (2) suspects in the theft from the Iraqi National Guard (ING) Training Camp at Camp Junction City, allege being abused while in custody. Both suspects provided facts "proven to be false and established patterns of not providing the truth". ...
June 28, 2006
Investigative File
Richard F. Natonski
Richard F. Natonski
General, Use of electricity, Cramped confinement, Isolation, Light or sound, Physical assault, Environmental manipulation
Jan. 09, 2004 | ACLU-RDI 658
[Redacted] mistreated Iraqis under his charge, endangering the welfare of his Marines by opening them to Iraqi retaliation. In the first incident on 06/23/2003, [redacted] ordered his Marines to strip four Iraqi detainees to their underwear and ...
Nov. 15, 2002 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 2434
This memo is designed to inform and instruct members of the 1st Force Service Support Group on the collection and handling of Enemy Prisoners of War, Civilian Internees and other Detainees. The memo includes the Geneva Convention and supporting ...
Apr. 01, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 2435
This memo is designed to inform and instruct members of the 1st Force Service Support Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force on the collection and handling of Enemy Prisoners of War, Civilian Internees and other Detainees. The memo includes the ...
May 16, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 2436
DOD memo on the military’s on the need to be sensitive and aware of the importance of preserving good relations with the local Afghani population and joint military persons while operating in Afghanistan. It stresses the need to maintain good ...
June 30, 2006
Non-legal Memo
David W. Barno
David W. Barno
June 01, 2002 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 2437
Powerpoint presentation gives details of the Geneva Conventions, and the 5 S's (Search, Silence, Segregate, Safeguard and Speed to the rear).
Nov. 11, 2003 | ACLU-RDI 2438
Memo states that during a recent "welfare visit" a British citizen at Guantanamo informed UK officials that he was "hooded and physically abused" prior to transfer to Guantanamo. In response, the memo states that Paul Butler, the Deputy ...
June 30, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Timothy J. Keating
Timothy J. Keating
Physical assault, Environmental manipulation, Hooding/Goggling
Dec. 20, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 2439
Email with attached talking points for the US Mission in Geneva to address the deaths of detainees at Bagram.
June 30, 2006
Email
Monica J. Tillery
Joshua L. Dorosin
Dec. 16, 2002 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 2440
Paper outlines answers to possible questions regarding the two recent deaths at Bagram detention facility. The deaths occurred on 12/03/2002 and 12/10/2002. Both bodies underwent autopsy performed by an international medical team.