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)

An OLC memo to the CIA addressing whether the use of "twelve particular interrogation techniques (attention grasp, walling, facial hold, facial slap (insult slap), cramped confinement, wall standing, stress positions, sleep depravation, ...

In a letter to Acting CIA Director McLaughlin, Attorney General Ashcroft confirms his advice that the use of certain interrogation techniques (other than waterboarding) in the interrogation of a particular detainee outside territory subject to ...
Aug. 24, 2009
Letter
John D. Ashcroft
John E. McLaughlin
John D. Ashcroft, John McLaughlin, John A. Rizzo, Jay S. Bybee
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding
Talking points on FBI participation in overseas interrogations of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Gharib. The document notes the "400 actionable leads" that have been a "direct result" of the "4,000 detainee interviews." It goes on to say ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 1 released page for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
A letter written in response to the ACLU's Freedom of Information Act request relating to the Office of Inspector General's investigation into the interrogation of detainees. The letter notifies Mr. Jaffeer that the U.S. Army Criminal ...
This document is a schedule of Iraq pre-deployment training events.
This document, labeled "Overview," lists information about an unspecified approach.
This document is an Initial Army CID report concerning allegations by a detainee that he was tortured for approximately 24 hours by agents of the FBI while held at the Baghdad International Airport detention facility. Records revealed that the ...
July 21, 2009
Oversight Report
Stomach/abdominal slap, Other, Physical assault
This document is an email alerting recipients that, after discussions with FBI Director Mueller, FBI is sending DoD 8 interviews with agents who reported seeing actions that might constitute detainee mistreatment.
July 20, 2009
Email
Valerie E. Caproni
Thomas J. Harrington
Valerie E. Caproni, Thomas J. Harrington
This document is an email from Valerie E. Caproni to redacted recipient suggesting more information on abuses that occurred in Afghanistan be added to a QFR response to Senator Leahy's inquiry.
July 20, 2009
Email
Valerie E. Caproni
Valerie E. Caproni
This document is an Iraq Task Force daily situation report. It contains information about interviews of detainees and provides short summaries of the information they gave. It contains statistics on detainee status and personnel status.
This email briefly discusses a letter drafted by CIRG to ORG to send to the Department of Defense regarding detainee treatment observed by members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit at GTMO. The response states that the redacted respondent has no ...
This document is an email chain discussing acquiring agents for an interrogation and the allowability of various interrogation methods. One email mentions that "due to the issues at Abu G prison," interrogations have been suspended but "will in a ...
This document is a letter from the US Army trial counsel responsible for prosecuting Specialist [redacted] and Sergeant [redacted] "in connection with detainee abuse at the Baghdad Central Confinement Facility." The letter mentions a New York ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 847 released documents for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 977 released pages for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...

The Vaughn declaration of CIA Director Leon Panetta, discussing CIA records that describe the contents of the videotapes destroyed by the CIA.  The declaration notes that the records primarily concern the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah and ...

June 09, 2009
Judicial (Affidavit/Declaration, Vaughn Declaration/Index)
Leon E. Panetta
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein
Leon E. Panetta
Abu Zubaydah
EIT

The CIA's Vaughn Index of records describing the contents of the interrogation videotapes destroyed by the CIA.  This Index was attached to Leon Panetta's Vaughn Declaration of the same date.  Most of the records listed in the Index ...

June 09, 2009
Judicial (Vaughn Declaration/Index)
Leon E. Panetta
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Waterboarding, Use of water
An email to an FBI official stating "Greetings from Mexico City" with a file attachment.
A cover sheet called "GTMO Special Inquiry" with the following information written on the sheet: "Emails received which were individuals: not on GTMO, wrong identity, Afghan."
A negative response to an FBI inquiry into aggressive treatment of detainees and/or harsh techniques/interrogations by FBI agents at Guantanamo Bay.

A list of records that were contemporaneous and derivative to the CIA's destruction of the interrogation videotapes.  The records listed describe the contents of the destroyed tapes.  The list was produced to the ACLU and the Court ...

May 18, 2009
Judicial (Vaughn Declaration/Index)
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein
An email to Jameel Jaffer informing him that, though the Department of Defense is withholding a draft response to Congressional Questions for the Record in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 15, 2005, the final versions of the ...

A letter from the CIA's Office of General Counsel to Judge Hellerstein attaching a Vaughn index of records from August 2002 that describe the contents of the interrogation videotapes destroyed by the CIA.  The letter explains that the ...

May 01, 2009
Letter, Judicial
John L. McPherson
Alvin K. Hellerstein
John L. McPherson, Alvin K. Hellerstein

A Vaughn index of CIA records, including cables sent from the field to headquarters, relating to the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah.  The CIA stated that the index includes the first half of the records created in August 2002 that describe ...

May 01, 2009
Judicial (Vaughn Declaration/Index)
John L. McPherson
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein
Abu Zubaydah
This document is a cover letter to the ACLU enclosing 842 released documents for a FOIA request. The letter also identifies exemptions made in documents under the Freedom of Information/Privacy Acts (FOIPA), Title 5, United States Code, Section ...
Cover letter from the FBI to the ACLU accompanying the release of 804 pages of records by the FBI.
Through a Freedom of Information Act request by the ACLU, an 804 out of 845 page document was released regarding an OIG investigation on interrogation of detainees. This document is an explanation of exemptions made in the aforementioned released ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Apr. 27, 2009
Non-legal Memo
Steven C. McCraw
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Apr. 27, 2009
Non-legal Memo
Steven C. McCraw
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Apr. 27, 2009
Non-legal Memo
Steven C. McCraw
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive or ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no treatment of ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no treatment of ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported that s/he "did not directly ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent, Inspector Leslie G. Wiser, reported ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported that s/he "did not directly ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported that s/he did not observe ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...
Document responds to request for information regarding treatment of detainees at GTMO (Counterterrorism Division, Guantanamo, Inspection Special Inquiry, Case ID # 297-HQ-A1327669-A); the responding agent reported observing no aggressive ...