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
| ACLU-RDI 3666

Interview of Colin L. Powell regarding the U.S. decision to deny detainees at Guantanamo prisoner of war status. Mr. Powell explains the U.S. government's rationale and explains that by definition detained Taliban and Al-Qaida personnel are ...

Dec. 02, 2004
Interview (Questionnaire)
Colin L. Powell, Sharon E. Ahmad
Nov. 10, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3667
This is a letter from U.S. representative in the UK as the Director of United Kingdom, Benelux, and Ireland Affairs to Ms. Helen Clark, MP, UK House of Commons thanking her for her recent letter and concerns over the detainment and treatment of ...
Dec. 02, 2004
Letter
Alexander Karagiannis
Helen Clark
Alexander Karagiannis
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3668
This letter is from Paula J. Dobriansky, State Department Under Secretary for Global Affairs to Sen. Bingaman (D-NM) responding to the Senator’s recent letter raising concerns over an article in the Washington Post concerning allegations of ...
Dec. 02, 2004
Letter
Paula Dobriansky
Jeff Bingaman | Charles E. Grassley
Paula J. Dobriansky, Jesse Francis Bingaman, Jr., Charles E. Grassley
Feb. 27, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3664
Email refers to a paper from the National Security Council that discusses the legal status of detainees. [Document is not included].
Nov. 23, 2004
Email
Evan T. Bloom
Stephen D. Mathias
D. Stephen Mathias, Samuel M. Witten, Linda Jacobson, Thomas B. Heinemann, David W. Bowker, Eric J. Pelofsky, Andre M. Surena, Katherine M. Gorove, JoAnn J. Dolan, Ted A. Borek, Catherine Mary Malin, Harry R. Melone
Dec. 11, 2002 | DOJ | ACLU-RDI 3665
DOJ Fact Sheet discussing their investigation of terrorist organizations and groups since 9/11/2001. Also, the fact sheet explains the necessity for withholding the names, dates, and locations of arrest of detainees.
Nov. 23, 2004
Other
Harry R. Melone
Feb. 06, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 3662
DOS Cable from Colin L. Powell to U.S. Ambassador to Australia, John Thomas Schieffer. The Cable discusses the POW status or non-status of the Taliban and Al-Qaida detainees, and explains the specific privileges the detainees will be afforded.
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
John Thomas Schieffer
John Thomas Schieffer, Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad, Howard H. Leach, Daniel Ray Coats, Ryan C. Crocker, James C. Oberwetter, William Stamps Farish, IV, Alexander R. Vershbow , Paul Cellucci, Tom C. Korologos, Pamela Willeford, Colin L. Powell
Feb. 07, 2002 | WH | ACLU-RDI 3663
Press release from the Office of the White House Press Secretary, discussing the status of Taliban and Al-Qaeda detainees at Guantanamo. The press release outlines that detainees are not POWs and while they will be treated humanely and in ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Other
Ari Fleischer, George W. Bush
Nov. 05, 2001 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3660
DOS Cover Sheet to attached papers requested by the Office of Global Criminal Justice from the Department Historian on Nuremberg and past U.S. detentions. [Documents are not included].
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
Jonathan B. Schwartz, Edward R. Cummings, Todd F. Buchwald, David Kay, Andre M. Surena, Katherine M. Gorove, Evan T. Bloom, Thomas B. Heinemann, Ted A. Borek, D. Stephen Mathias, Marc Susser
Nov. 02, 2001 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3661
These two (2) memos are background and history of the Establishment of the Nuremberg Tribunal, and Detention of POWs, Unlawful Combatants, and Other Detainees. The memos are designed to address concerns and questions about the legal authority of ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Non-legal Memo
Marc Susser
Pierre-Richard Prosper
Marc Susser, Pierre-Richard Prosper
Nov. 16, 2001 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3659
Letter refers to an attached memo regarding the historical treatment of detainees. [Letter is not included].
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
Evan T. Bloom
William J. Haynes, II, Todd F. Buchwald, David W. Bowker, Joshua L. Dorosin, Harry R. Melone, Eric J. Pelofsky, Mary Comfort, Andre M. Surena, David Kay, Evan T. Bloom, Edward R. Cummings