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 21, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3591
This State Department cable provides talking points for US mission & Embassy officials discuss with foreign governments the detention of their citizens/nationals at Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan. The ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Pierre-Richard Prosper
Sept. 17, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3593
This State Department cable is discussing the transferring out of Guantanamo certain detainees. The cable states that there is an opportunity to "air bridge" them out in September 2003. There is also a mention of an un-named detainee who refuses ...
Apr. 01, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3594
This State Department Cable is entitled "Subject: Ambassador Prosper Discusses Detainee Issues with International Committee for the Red Cross President Kellenberger". There is no other discernible information or context.
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Richard A. Boucher
Richard A. Boucher
June 21, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3599
DOS Cable from the Kuwait Embassy to Secretary of State, Colin L. Powell, regarding a Kuwaiti citizen(s) being held by the Coalition in Iraq.
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Frank C. Urbancic, Jr., Natalie E. Brown
July 15, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3600
DOS Cable discusses the transfer for release of detainees at Guantanamo Bay (GTMO). It states that the detainee's host governments are willing to accept the nationals. The names and countries of the detainees are listed, but redacted.
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Stephanie T. Williams, James A. McAtamney, Elizabeth H. Richard, Ronald W. Miller, Frank E. Schmelzer , Karen L. Hecker, Carol T. Santos, JoAnn J. Dolan
May 10, 2004 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3601
DOS Letter to U.S. Representative, Ike Skelton, regarding the International Committee of the Red Cross' (ICRC) report, which contains allegations of detainee mistreatment in Iraq.
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
Donald H. Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice, Isaac Newton Skelton IV, Colin L. Powell, George W. Bush, P. Michael McKinley, William E. Landfair, Paul V. Kelly, Elizabeth H. Richard
Jan. 07, 2002 | ACLU-RDI 3602
Letter and fax cover sheet from Amnesty International's Program Director, Susan Lee, to Colin L. Powell. The letter refers to another letter that discusses the treatment of Al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects in U.S. custody in Afghanistan [that letter ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Frank E. Schmelzer
Dec. 03, 2001 | ACLU-RDI 3603
Letter from John Walker Lindh's attorney, James J. Brosnahan, requesting information on the location of his client, detained enemy combatant, John Walker Lindh. Mr. Brosnahan states in his letter that he needs the appropriate government official ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
Colin L. Powell, John D. Ashcroft, Donald H. Rumsfeld, George J. Tenet, Robert M. McNamara, Jr.
John Walker Lindh
May 14, 2003 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3606
DOS Action Slip has a post it message that reads: “S/WCI is the appropriate office for Guantanamo letters, Jeff Kern 78089”
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
Jeffrey Kern
DOS | ACLU-RDI 3607
No relevant text.