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 (38)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
Mar. 31, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3959
This State Department memo addresses the issue of transferring and repatriating the Guantanamo detainees against the requirements of the Geneva Convention. The memo highlights the Geneva Convention provision which states, in part, "POWs shall be ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
David W. Bowker
David W. Bowker, William Howard Taft, IV, James H. Thessin, Edward R. Cummings, Brent E. Blaschke
Feb. 08, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3935
This State Department cable provides talking points for US mission & Embassy officials to inform foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan. It ...
Dec. 30, 2004
Cable
Brent E. Blaschke , David W. Bowker, Debra L. Cagan, John B. Bellinger, III
Mar. 18, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3798
This is a DOS Routing and Transmittal Slip for DOS Officials to initial - re: UK Detainees at Guantanamo Bay: Application for Judicial Review
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Jonathan B. Schwartz
JoAnn J. Dolan | Ed Cummings | David Kaye
JoAnn J. Dolan, Evan T. Bloom, David W. Bowker, Edward R. Cummings, Andre M. Surena, David A. Kaye
Feb. 11, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3793
State Department memo from Daveid Bowker to Beverly Holman to "Prepare ALDAC cable to NSC under cover of a Harty-Biegun memo."
Dec. 30, 2004
Non-legal Memo
Beverly S. Holman
David W. Bowker
David W. Bowker, Beverly S. Holman
Mar. 18, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3755
This is a DOS Routing and Transmittal Slip for DOS Officials to initial - re: UK Detainees at Guantanamo Bay: Application for Judicial Review
Dec. 30, 2004
Letter
Jonathan B. Schwartz
JoAnn J. Dolan | Ed Cummings | David Kaye
JoAnn J. Dolan, Evan T. Bloom, David W. Bowker, Edward R. Cummings, Andre M. Surena, David A. Kaye
Feb. 27, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3664
Email refers to a paper from the National Security Council that discusses the legal status of detainees. [Document is not included].
Nov. 23, 2004
Email
Evan T. Bloom
Stephen D. Mathias
D. Stephen Mathias, Samuel M. Witten, Linda Jacobson, Thomas B. Heinemann, David W. Bowker, Eric J. Pelofsky, Andre M. Surena, Katherine M. Gorove, JoAnn J. Dolan, Ted A. Borek, Catherine Mary Malin, Harry R. Melone
Nov. 16, 2001 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3659
Letter refers to an attached memo regarding the historical treatment of detainees. [Letter is not included].
Nov. 23, 2004
Letter
Evan T. Bloom
William J. Haynes, II, Todd F. Buchwald, David W. Bowker, Joshua L. Dorosin, Harry R. Melone, Eric J. Pelofsky, Mary Comfort, Andre M. Surena, David Kay, Evan T. Bloom, Edward R. Cummings
May 02, 2002 | DOS | ACLU-RDI 3586
This State Department cable provides talking points for US mission & Embassy officials to inform foreign governments about the transfer of their citizens/nationals to Guantanamo after they were picked-up on the battle field of Afghanistan. It ...
Nov. 23, 2004
Cable
Colin L. Powell
Colin L. Powell, Brent E. Blaschke , David W. Bowker