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 (4745)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
June 10, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3720
This State Department cable is to assist the U.S. Mission in Geneva in addressing a report by the Acting U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights that was critical of the U.S. role, action in Iraq and the U.S. commitment to its international ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
July 07, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3721
This is a cable to the U.S. Mission in Geneva, forwarding letters received by U.N. Representatives Theo van Boven, Leandro Despouy and Paul Hunt. The letters from Messrs.’ Boven, Despouy and Hunt focus on the treatment of detainees and the ...
July 13, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3722
Fax cover sheet from Beth Ryley to U.S. Mission to International Organizations re: fax received from the Chairperson of the 1 Vh meeting of rapporteurs addressed to Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Beth Ryley
Colin L. Powell
June 30, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3723
Fax cover sheet from Soussen Azarakhchi to U.S. Mission re attached letter to Powell from Boven.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Emmanuelle Gilland | Soussan Raadi-Azarakhchi
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
June 30, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3724
Letter from Theo van Boven as Chairperson of the Eleventh Meeting of Mandate Holders to Sec. of State Colin Powell re: Special Rapporteurs/Representatives statement.
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Theo van Boven
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
July 19, 2004 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3725
Statement from Rapporteurs asking to visit detainees detained on grounds of alleged terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo and elsewhere. Next to elsewhere, handwritten note: "Russia and China, Pakistan and Egypt."
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Theo van Boven
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell
June 30, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3726
This State Department cable is from the U.S. Mission to Geneva to Washington with the contents of a letter sent by Theo van Boven in his capacity as Chairperson of the 11th meeting of Special Rapporteurs/Representatives. The correspondence is to ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell, Kevin Edward Moley
Aug. 25, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3728
This State Department cable states that a letter was received from Stephen Toope, Chairman of the United Nations' Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. The letter concerns a report by the Working Group Enforced or Involuntary ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Kevin Edward Moley
Oct. 21, 2003 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3729
Summary of allegations by the Special Rapporteur of abuse of a detainee held in custody at Guantanamo Bay and Bagram Air Base in 2002-2003. The claim of abuses included: prolonged standing; kneeling; painful and awkward positions; hooding; ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Use of electricity, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Sleep deprivation, Light or sound, Hooding/Goggling, Environmental manipulation
Oct. 22, 2002 | Non-US | ACLU-RDI 3730
United Nations Special Rapporteur report on allegations of potential detainee abuse at Kandahar, Afghanistan. This is an annex of a report which purports to describe how suspected Taliban detainees were bound and hooded while in U.S. custody in ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Physical assault, Stress positions, Cramped confinement