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
Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3739
International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) Memo re: Standard ICRC Working Procedures for Visiting Persons Deprived of Liberty
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3757
Ed Cummings presentation on the applicability of Geneva Convention in War Against Terror against non-state actors.
Dec. 30, 2004
Other
Ed Cummings
Edward R. Cummings
| ACLU-RDI 3802
Press release entitled "Government Accepts Military Commissions for Guantanamo Bay Detainees" concerning the matter of David Hicks, an Australian accused of being a Taliban fighter and held in Guantanamo
Dec. 30, 2004
Other
George W. Bush
David Hicks, Abdul Habib
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3858
State Department talking points memo on the status of Guantanamo detainees as Unlawful Combatants vs. Prisoners of War (POWs). The memo cites the Geneva Convention's POW requirements that POWs wear a uniform with a distinctive insignia, that they ...
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3861
Interagency fax coversheet from DJY to Maura Harty
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Maura Harty
Maura A. Harty
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3864
This memo is to address questions and concerns over the status and treatment of Guantanamo detainees. The memo states that the detainees are illegal combatants, and not Prisoners of War (POWs). It states Al Qaeda is a foreign terrorist group and ...
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3869
State Department fax cover sheet re: Cable on Prosecution of Non-Afghans Aiding Al-Qaeda and Taliban. Remarks: Per discussion at this afternoon's SVTS. Clearance would be appreciated by 00B Monday.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Evan T. Bloom
Daniel P. Collins | John Bellinger
Evan T. Bloom, Daniel P. Collins, John B. Bellinger, III
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3915
State Department talking points memo on addressing the criticism over Guantanamo Bay detentions. The memo states that "Criticism is particularly strong in Europe and the Middle East. [The] Europeans have objected to the detention of [their] ...
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3957
This State Department memo addresses the question of applying Article 5 of the Geneva Convention to the Guantanamo detainees. The memo states POW status does not apply to the Taliban or to Al Qaeda because they are: 1) not subject to military ...
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3958
This State Department memo addresses the question of applying Military Commissions to the Guantanamo detainees. The memo states 1) Military commissions are well-established in U.S. law and practice, as well as international law and practice; 2) ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
George W. Bush