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)

State Department cable concerning the procedures for U.S. Military commissions that may be established to try suspected Taliban and Al-Qaeda terrrorists. This State Department cable provides talking points for US mission & Embassy officials to ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, George W. Bush
State Department cable providing an update on world events. The main point covered concerns an arms smuggling investigation in Bulgaria concerning prohibited weapons being shipped to Iraq and how this might impact Bulgaria's application to NATO. ...
State Department cable for reporters questions on mtters such as: i) Israel/Palestinians: Upcoming Quartet Meeting; ii) Violence in the Mid-East Region; iii) Algeria; and iv) Access to Guantanamo Detainees. On the Guantanamo detainee issue the ...
State Department cable concerning the government of Sweden releasing "Report on the State of Human Rights Worldwide and in the U.S." The Report covers the Israel/Palestinian conflict and is critical of Israel. The Swedish Foreign Minister was ...
This DOS cable is to provide guidance in addressing questions concerning the treatment of detainees under U.S. control. The cable states that the U.S. Anticipates Receiving Questions About Torture During the Current Session of the Commission on ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
DOS Cable re: State Department Press Statement. Document Contains Press Statements on the Regional Securities Ministerial Meeting held in Bogota, Columbia; A bi-lateral statement by the U.S. and Mexico on climate change; and the Canadian prime ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Richard A. Boucher
Richard A. Boucher
State Department cable concerning a Report from the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, Entitled "Situation of Muslim and Arab Peoples in Various Parts of the World in the ...
State Department cable concerning the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe considering a Resolution calling the U.S. to task for holding persons in custody in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay without the formal procedures normally ...
State Department cable summarizes the American Ambassador's Presentation of U.S. Policies on Iraq to 80 Mid-Level Arab Military Personnel. The officers also posed questions concerning U.S. visa policy, but the tone of the questioning was "mild".
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Richard L. Baltimore, III
State Department cable describing the historic session of the newly formed Governing Council Participating in discussions with the United Nations on implementing UN Security Council resolutions post-war. UN Special representative Sergio Vieira De ...
State Department cable on addressing the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention report that was critical of the U.S. and the detention of Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters in Guantanamo. The cable instructs the U.S. representatives that the "U.S. ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Email
JoAnn J. Dolan, Katherine M. Gorove
State Department cable giving direction to its Mission on presenting a statement at the PC Meeting in Vienna. The statement is one of general support and addresses the specific issues of Military Commisssions for Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. ...
State Department cable with talking points and guidance for answering questions from the press regarding; i) the Saudi detainees at Guantanamno; ii) Libia/Pan-Am 103 UN santions and Possible French Veto; iii) Jordan Investigation into shooting of ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
This State Department cable provides talking points for a presentation to the Netherlands-Helsinki Committee meeting in the Hague in September 2003. The statement is about the military commissions and the Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters who will be ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
The U.S. Mission in Geneva received a letter from Bertrand G. Ramcharan, Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights and passed the contents of the letter to Washington in cable form. The letter is addressed to Ass. Sec. Lorne Craner and concerning ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell, Kevin Edward Moley, Lorne Craner
State Department cable to the U.S. Mission in Venna to deliver remarks of Sec. Powell to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe May 13, 2003. The points to make are i) The Military Commissions will be impartial; ii) there is a ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell, George W. Bush
State Department cable from the U.S. Mission in Geneva containing a letter received by Ms. Asma Jahangir, UN Special Rapporteurs on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions and Torture and Mr. Theo van Boven the Special Rapporteur on ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Asma Jahangir
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable regarding the release of a biography of a former Danish Guantanamo detainee, Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane. Mr. Abderrahmane has not made any public statements alleging mistreatment, but the Danish press is highlighting the ...
State Department cable from the U.S. Mission in Geneva to Washington containing a letter by Leila Zerrougui, the UN Special Rapporteur on Arbitrary Detention concerning persons being held by U.S. forces where the persons have not been charged ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Kevin Edward Moley
Colin L. Powell
Kevin Edward Moley, Colin L. Powell
State department Embassy cable informing Washington that they have informed a Foreign Affairs Minister of the transfer of some of his nation's citizens to Guantanamo. The Foreign Minister expressed concern over the reports of detainee’s abuse, ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable providing information to Washington about Assistant Secretary William Burns visiting Kuwait on January 11-12 for Consultations with the Kuwaiti Government Focused on Operation Enduring Freedom, Middle East Peace, the U.S. ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, John Dimitri Negroponte
State Department cable concerning the Tokyo Conference; the transfer of detainees to Guantanamo; the ability and schedule of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit Guantanamo facilities and the detainees; and the ability of ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable to Washington informing them that a Foreign Minister has made a request for a visitation of one of his nation's citizens being held at Guantanamo. The cable is heavily redacted.
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable concerning Australian Prime Minister Howard's upcoming trip to New York for the World Economic Forum. The cable states that PM Howard has expressed his support for Operation Enduring Freedom and the international effort ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
John Thomas Schieffer
Colin L. Powell
John Thomas Schieffer, Colin L. Powell, George W. Bush
State Department cable concerning the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Staff meeting notes from January 23, 2002. Multiple topics, including detainees. "Public Reaction re detainees is turning very negative." Concerns of various countries ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Paula J. Dobriansky
DOS Cable re: Update on Various Issues for the Secretary: Guantanamo; NATO; and Foreign Affairs
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
DOS Cable re: Update on Various Issues for the Secretary: Guantanamo; U.S.-Canadian Relations; and Foreign Affairs.
State Department cable notes that a Foreign Minister contacted the DCM and delivered reports of "Harsh and inhumane treatment are meted out to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners" at Guantanamo. The cable is largely redacted, but indicates that ...
State Department cable concerning the world's perception that the US was treating its detainees improperly was undermining the moral high ground upon which the anti-terror coalition stands. The cable also gives some insight to off-record meetings ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell, Daniel Ray Coats
State Department cable concerning Secretary of State Powell's Meeting with EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana. They discussed, Balkins, the Middle East, Yassar Arafat, the Global Coalition Against ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Email
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Richard A. Boucher, William Burns, Charles Ries, Craig A. Kelly
State Department cable concerning a gentleman who approached the embassy to inquire about his son’s status in U.S. custody at Guantanamo. The father stated that he formed a group of detainee families to act collectively to seek information, ...
State Department cable concerning a summary of the Yemeni Parliamentary Committee's investigation and detention of "hundreds" of suspects involved in the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen in October 2000. The Committee's report focused on ...
State Department cable concerning European Asst. Sec. Elizabeth Jones meeting with Danish EU Presidency representatives concerning "Political Hot Spots" such as: Iraq; Afghanistan; and Central Asia. The Koreas were discussed as was southern ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Elizabeth Jones
Bill Taylor
Elizabeth Jones
State Department cable concerning a meeting with the French Foreign Minister Hubert Colin de Verdiere. Mr. de Verdiere expressed concerns over a United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq; the treatment of several French citizens in the ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable concerning the family of a detainee and his impending transfer from Guantanamo to his home country. The rights activists request that US not transfer any war prisoners because "torture, inhumane treatment and the death ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Lorne Craner
State Department cable detailing Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper's meeting with senior Swedish officials, parliamentarians, the press and legal experts concerning the U.S. detention of terror suspects and the label "Illegal Combatant" in order ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Pierre-Richard Prosper
State Department cable concerning an article in the Independent newspaper concerning two (2) Al-Qaeda terror suspects, Jamil El Banna and Bisher Amin Khalil al Rawi, being transferred to Guantanamo. The article raises questions about extradition ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Jamil El Banna, Bisher Amin Khalil al Rawi
State Department cable concerning the June 12 arrival of the Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh to call on the Secretary of State, Colin Powell. The issues to be covered are: The Middle East peace process; transatlantic relations; ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable giving a summary of meeting between Sec. Powell and Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. FM Lindh praised the current U.S. efforts in the Middle East and assured Sec. Powell that the Europeans will do what they can to help ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Richard A. Boucher, Henry Bisharat, Craig A. Kelly , Beth Jones
State Department cable to Secretary of State Powell giving advice on upcoming visits of senior U.S. Defense policy and Pol-Mil visitors to Australia in a two-week period in Mid-August 2003 "to convey the importance of our alliance to our ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
State Department cable relating a request from Latvian Parliamentarians requesting the release of Latvian student from prison in Iraq. The Latvians claim that the gentleman was arrested on suspicion of being a "potential foreign mercenary" and is ...
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Summary of bi-annual TransAtlantic Legislators' Dialogue meetings, which included discussions of conflicts between U.S. and European positions on Guantanamo and the war on terror.
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) met with Moroccan Prime Minister Jettou in Rabat on 1/4/04. Discussion included counter terrorism, the FTA (REFTEL), Iraq, the Middel East Peace talks and the Guantanamo detainees.
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
Summary of meeting between Sec. Powell and Danish Foreign Minister. The men discussed the Gaza Strip situation, the Sudan crises and Cyprus.
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Government of Malaysia expressed outrage over treatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib "and possibly elsewhere." Said Malaysia would "not listen" to future US criticism of Malaysian human rights practices.
State Department cable concerning the possible transfer of Guantanamo Detainees from Guantanamo and Bagram back to their home countries. Mostly redacted.
Dec. 17, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Ronald W. Miller, Pierre-Richard Prosper

Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.

Dec. 17, 2004
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld

Letter from Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS to Amrit Singh, ACLU re: the ACLU's FOIA Request. The letter states that the document production requested is being complied with in some parts and denied or withheld in part.

Dec. 17, 2004
Letter, Judicial
Margaret P. Grafeld
Margaret P. Grafeld

Summarizes information received regarding transfer of Guantanamo prisoners to Sheberghan and Pol-I-Charki prisons in Afghanistan. Describes May 9th meeting convened by Pierre Richard Prosper, US Ambassador at Large for War Crimes, at which ...

This FBI memo is listed as: Memorandum from FBI to Department of Justice - Re. REPATRIATION ISSUES, 07/29/2003 and is almost completely redacted except for two (2) lines: 1) "the FBI proposes that DOJ concur with DOD's recommendation to transfer ...