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 (570)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
May 11, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 864
Interviewee arrived to AG around October 26, 2003 as an intelligence analyst.Interviewee recalled that " The closes[t] thing to detainee abuse I observed was making the detainees do PT." Interviewee stated, "[w]e requested the use of dogs for one ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Statement)
Use of phobias, Nudity, Other Humiliation, Sexual, Forced physical training
Apr. 27, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 862
This statement of a CACI civilian contractor for the Dept. of Defense who states that he arrived at Abu Ghraib Prison on October 5, 2003. He states that "The Joint interrogation Debriefing Center Commander gave all new arrivals a down and dirty ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Statement)
Thomas Pappas, Ricardo Sanchez, Janis Leigh Karpinski
Physical assault, General, Nudity
June 06, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 858
Interviewee was assigned to AG from May 2003 to November 2003 as a Platoon Leader, responsible for daytime guard operations. Interviewee stated, "I observed MI use some stress positions to include detainees holding their arms out for extended ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Transcript)
Stress positions, Nudity
Jan. 20, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 853
[Document is unreadable in parts]. Interviewee was a member of the Internal Reaction Force. Interviewee stated that he/she observed a captain beating a detainee during the weapon search. Stated "[o]ne soldier was standing next to the ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Transcript)
Physical assault, General, Use of phobias, Environmental manipulation, Hooding/Goggling, Nudity
June 24, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 850
Interviewee was able to ID a Captain who was alleged to have committed abuse. Interviewee stated "[a]s a professional jailer for eleven years, the conduct and treatment of the prisoners were not to standards." [Handwritten, but legible]
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Transcript)
Physical assault, General
June 24, 2004 | DOA | ACLU-RDI 851
This statement by a Sergeant simply states "On June 24, 2004, I identified Capt. [redacted] from a photo-spread provided to me as being the unknown Captain described in my January 20, 2004 statement to CID Agent [redacted]. This is the Captain ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Statement)
Physical assault, General
Jan. 20, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 852
Interviewee was assigned to the Internal Reaction Force. Interviewee recalled an incident where a MI person yelled profanity at a detainee and punched the detainee in the back of the head with a closed fist, causing the detainee to fall forward. ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Transcript, Questionnaire)
Physical assault, Stomach/abdominal slap, General, Use of phobias, Environmental manipulation, Hooding/Goggling, Nudity
June 24, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 849

Memo discusses the identifying of a Military Police Captain who reportedly assaulted an Iraqi detainee. Interviewee reported that he/she observed [redacted] choking, dragging, kicking an Iraqi detainee on or about November 24, 2003. At the ...

Mar. 03, 2005
Non-legal Memo, Interview (Transcript)
George R. Fay
Physical assault, General
May 11, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 845
Interviewee arrived to AG in late November 2003 as a member of the Tiger Team and then as an analyst. Interviewee noted the use of sandbags over detainee heads. Interviewee mentioned dogs were walked down the hallway, but did not go into ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Transcript)
Use of water, Other, Use of phobias, Environmental manipulation, Temperature, Hooding/Goggling, Nudity
May 24, 2004 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 846
Interviewee was assigned to AG on October 21 as the Chief of the Terrorist, Foreign Fighters and Extremist element of the JIDC. Interviewee recalled one detainee being handcuffed to the cell bar, which restricted his movement. Interviewee ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Interview (Transcript)
Ricardo Sanchez, Thomas Pappas
Use of water, Other, Physical assault, General, Stress positions, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Environmental manipulation, Hooding/Goggling, Other Humiliation, Forced grooming, Forced physical training