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 (312)

Memo from Headquarters, Combined/Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP), Office of the Commander. Addressed to Brigadier General [redacted]. Contents are almost entirely redacted, but include the headings "Detention ...
Heavily redacted document establishing interrogation and counter-resistance policy during the interrogation of all detainees and enemy prisoners of war (EPWs). States that "interrogations performed at Tactical Interrogation Center require ...
Army memo on the procedures of handling detainees and the guards responsibility to keep the detainees safe, what to do in the event of an emergency and who to contact if necessary.
Paper refers frequently to a redacted policy name as well as to CJTF-7 policy. "CJTF-7 policy allows detainees to be held beyond 72 hours (up to 14 days) for continued interrogation. No approval required." Approves the use of 21 interrogation ...
Timeline of interrogation policy as of 05/30/2004. Covers from 09/14/2003 to 05/21/2004. Details communication between individuals (inc. Sanchez) and policy updates regarding interrogation techniques. Explains why it was that CJTF-7 was using ...
June 30, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Ricardo Sanchez
Gives instructions on detainee reports. Requires that all detainees in coalition custody be tracked.
Fragmentary Order (FRAGO) regarding detainee operations, approved for release by Colonel Pricone. Gives brief instructions on detention procedures, including stating that "capturing units will not detain persons for greater than 72 hours unless ...
June 30, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Robert Pricone
Robert Pricone
Fragmentary Order 749 (FRAGO 749) relating to detainees, which "consolidates prior orders and guidance." Document is substantially redacted. States, "Capturing units will not detain persons unless there is a reasonable belief that the person is ...
Memo from BG Formica to LTG Ricardo S. Sanchez, requesting an extension until the end of June 2004 for BG Formica's "informal investigation into abuse." Attached letter provides LTG Sanchez's approval for the extension. Also includes a subsequent ...
June 30, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Richard P. Formica
Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez, Richard P. Formica, Thomas F. Metz
This document is part of an AR 15-6 investigative file with a chronology of the progress and steps taken to investigate abuses at the Abu Ghraib detention Facility.
June 30, 2006
Non-legal Memo, Investigative File (AR 15-6)
Richard P. Formica