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 (142)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
Feb. 07, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6581
This February 7, 2002 OLC memo from Jay Bybee finds that the President has "reasonable factual grounds" to determine that no members of the Taliban militia are entitled prisoner of war status under Article 4 of the third Geneva Convention (1949).
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Jay S. Bybee
Counsel to the President
Jay S. Bybee
Aug. 01, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6571
This August 1, 2002 memo from John C. Yoo to Alberto Gonzales discusses standards of conduct for interrogations under the Torture Convention and under the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court.
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
John C. Yoo
Alberto Gonzalez
John C. Yoo, Alberto Gonzalez, Jay Bybee
July 13, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6570
An OLC memo from John Yoo to John Rizzo regarding "what is necessary to establish the crime of torture." The memo states that an individual must act with the "specific intent" to inflict severe mental pain or suffering to have committed torture, ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
John C. Yoo
John A. Rizzo
John C. Yoo, John A. Rizzo, Jennifer Koester
Jan. 22, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6568
This Jan. 22, 2002 memo from Jay Bybee (OLC) to Alberto R. Gonzales (Counsel to Pres. George W. Bush) and William H. Haynes II (General Counsel of the DOD) responds to a request for advice on the effect of the War Crimes Act and the Geneva ...
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Jay S. Bybee
Alberto Gonzalez | William J. Haynes, II
Alberto Gonzalez, William J. Haynes, II, Jay S. Bybee, George W. Bush
Aug. 01, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6558
This memorandum from the Office of the Assistant Attorney General to Alberto Gonzales examines the legal standards of conduct for interrogations under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Office of the Assistant Attorney General
Alberto R. Gonzales
Alberto R. Gonzales
Physical assault, Threat, Assault/death, Sleep deprivation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Hooding/Goggling
Aug. 01, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6542
This August 1, 2002 OLC memo from Jay Bybee to John Rizzo discusses whether certain proposed conduct in the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah would violate the prohibition against torture found at Section 2340A of title 18 of the U.S. Code. The memo ...
Legal Memo
Jay S. Bybee
John A. Rizzo
Jay Bybee, John A. Rizzo
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound
Aug. 01, 2002 | OLC | ACLU-RDI 6541
This August 1, 2002 memo from Jay Bybee to Alberto Gonzales discusses standards of conduct for interrogations under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment or Punishment as implemented by 18 U.S. C. §§ ...
Legal Memo
Jay S. Bybee
Alberto Gonzalez
Jay Bybee, Alberto Gonzalez
May 14, 2002 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6368
This email concerns the practices and effectiveness of Tiger Teams, which appear to be FBI interrogation units. It mentions that interviews of detainees can range from 1 to 6.5 hours, and emphasizes patience and continuity in interrogation ...
Nov. 22, 2002 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6359
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding legal issues in Guantanamo Bay, specifically interrogation techniques.
Dec. 04, 2002 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6311
The document is an internal FBI email, regarding legal issues in Guantanamo Bay, specifically interrogation techniques, and the FBI's participation.
June 15, 2011
Email
Marion E. Bowman