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
Nov. 30, 2001 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6827
November 2001 memo from Yoo and Delahunty to Gonzales summarizing treaties and laws applicable to the conflict in Afghanistan and to the treatment of persons captured by U.S. Armed Forces.
Dec. 15, 2009
Legal Memo
John C. Yoo
Alberto R. Gonzales
Alberto R. Gonzales, John Yoo, Robert J. Delahunty, George W. Bush
Dec. 03, 2001 | ACLU-RDI 3603
Letter from John Walker Lindh's attorney, James J. Brosnahan, requesting information on the location of his client, detained enemy combatant, John Walker Lindh. Mr. Brosnahan states in his letter that he needs the appropriate government official ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
Colin L. Powell, John D. Ashcroft, Donald H. Rumsfeld, George J. Tenet, Robert M. McNamara, Jr.
John Walker Lindh
Dec. 04, 2001 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4418
DOS Cover Sheet re: Routing and Transmittal Slip for action memo to S on Harty-Biegun memo.
Dec. 05, 2001 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 4417
Ms. Holman request that Mr. Bloom prepare a memo to covering a Harty-Biegun memo.
Jan. 12, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Beverly S. Holman
Evan T. Bloom
Beverly S. Holman, Evan T. Bloom
Dec. 08, 2001 | CID | ACLU-RDI 961
Art. 32 investigation. Gives an account of an incident of abuse where an Iraqi guard was placed at gunpoint and beaten by US soldiers. Recommends that SSG McKenzie be charged with Cruelty and Maltreatment and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. It ...
Apr. 06, 2005
Investigative File
Martin E. Dempsey, John C. McKenzie
Dec. 13, 2001 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3208
This is a letter from an attorney representing a person detained by the U.S. to FBI Director Robert Mueller. In the letter the attorney states that he has reached out to DOD General Counsel William Hayne and Attorney General Ashcroft concerning ...
Dec. 15, 2004
Letter
Robert S. Mueller
William J. Haynes, II, Donald H. Rumsfeld, John D. Ashcroft, Robert S. Mueller
Dec. 14, 2001 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3552

This State Department cable is captioned "Subject: Prosecution of Non-Afghanis Fighting With Al Qaeda Or Taliban" but contains no discernible information on the subject matter.

Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
William E. Landfair
Dec. 18, 2001 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3784
Fax Cover Sheet from the Australian Embassy Washington to Ambassador Prosper re: Australian Detainee David Hicks and an Australian press item of 18 December, 2001
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Susan Dietz
Pierre-Richard Prosper
Pierre-Richard Prosper
David Hicks
Dec. 18, 2001 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3785
Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia) News Article re: CIA Grills Aussie Traitor Aboard Ship - David Hicks
Dec. 30, 2004
Other
David Hicks
Dec. 20, 2001 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 4419
Email from John Cerone to David Bowker forwarding an article (in body) by Cerone on the "Status of deatinees in international armed conflict, and their protection in the course of criminal proceedings."
Jan. 12, 2005
Email
John Cerone
David W. Bowker
David W. Bowker