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 (194)

This August 3, 2002 cable provides authorization to implement more aggressive techniques in the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah, including the use of the water board and mock burial, as described in this cable. The cable also provides information ...
This May 2002 cable serves as a "reaffirmation" of headquarters consent for the use of the confinement box and the restrictions surrounding its use. The cable also authorizes the use of the box with Abu Zubaydah.
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah
Cramped confinement
This CIA cable describes the phase of Abu Zubaydah's interrogation and states that he underwent confinement, walling and the waterboard during his initial cycle of interrogations. The cable also describes his general behavior in his cell as well ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Walling, Cramped confinement
This June 17, 2002 email discuses replacing psychologist Jim Mitchell with another SERE psychologist whose name is redacted during the July headquarters meeting. The email also includes the contents of a cable regarding "preparing for [redacted] ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Email, Cable
James Mitchell
Abu Zubaydah
Isolation
These April 2002 cables sets forth the plans, preparation, and proposed strategy for the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah.
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
James Mitchell
This April 2002 cable is redacted almost in full with the exception of a paragraph that questions the effectiveness of the confinement box on Abu Zubaydah, recognizing that it had a history of demonstrated effectiveness in the SERE program.
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah
SERE, Cramped confinement
This cable details the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah that took place on August 5, 2002 at the which the IC SERE psychologists were present. This interrogation included the use of walling, the water board, attention grab, confinement box, hooding, ...
This cable details the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah that took place on August 6, 2002. This interrogation included the use of walling, waterboarding "numerous times", attention grab, insult slap, confinement box, and hooding. The cable states ...
This cable details the results of the August 18, 2002 cycle of interrogation sessions of Abu Zubaydah, which is day 15 of the aggressive interrogation phase. The sessions were conducted by IC SERE psychologists. The cable states that Abu Zubaydah ...
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah
EIT
This cable discusses the preparation for Abu Zubaydah's upcoming interrogation phase and details his condition on day 30 of the isolation phase.
Dec. 20, 2016
Cable
Abu Zubaydah
Physical assault, Walling, Cramped confinement, Isolation