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 (45)

Heavily redacted memo reviewing allegations of abuse of a detainee that was turned over to the Department of Defense on May 23, 2003. On June 17, 2003, he was taken to an isolation block where one other detainee was being held. His new room had ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Cramped confinement, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Temperature
This report by a DAIG Team interviewed 24 individuals and conducted 4 sensing sessions consisting of 23 Soldiers. All Soldiers interviewed and sensed were given surveys to assess factors associated with combat stress. The inspection took place ...

A memo from Secretary Rumsfeld approving a set of interrogation techniques, including some that it admits may be "inconsistent with" provisions of the Geneva Conventions.  The techniques include "Pride and Ego Down," ...

Interview of a detainee at Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay. The detainee was being held in isolation at the time of the interview was scheduled, and he refused to answer any questions. Detainee did complain about the "harsh" treatment of the guards.
May 18, 2005
Non-legal Memo, Interview (Summaries/Notes)
General, Isolation, Physical assault
Abu Malik Kenami was detained in Iraq on December 5, 2003. He was interrogated and then placed in to the general population at Abu Ghraib prison. From the 5th of December through the early morning of 9th of December Kenami was not obeying the ...
Mar. 23, 2005
Non-legal Memo, Investigative File (AR 15-6), Photograph, Interview (Statement)
Abu Malik Kenami
Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Hooding/Goggling, Forced physical training
Memo-Interview of a Tiger Team member assigned to the 1st Military Intelligence Battalion, 205th Military Intelligence Brigade. Noted that on an "interrogation plan form there were two columns of procedures listed. The first column listed the ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Non-legal Memo, Interview (Summaries/Notes)
Use of water, Other, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Other Humiliation, Sexual, Other
Memo is an interview-statements regarding conditions in AG. Interviewee recalled finding a detainee naked in their cell, the detainee was identified as a high level official. Recalled the detainee was embarrassed about being naked in the cell ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Non-legal Memo, Interview (Summaries/Notes)
Thomas Pappas
Physical assault, General, Stress positions, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Nudity

Telephonic interview of a Military Intelligence interrogator (Rank & Rate unknown) regarding detainee interrogations at Abu Ghraib prison. The MI Interrogator stated "I never placed any of my detainees on sleep deprivation. I did use a stress ...

Mar. 03, 2005
Non-legal Memo, Interview (Transcript, Statement)
Stress positions, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Nudity, Other Humiliation
Interviewee's Procedure 15 interview is an addendum to his prior interview (Interviewee's title and length of assignment are unknown). Interviewee stated that he observed a detainee hooded and handcuffed to a railing. When he inquired about the ...
Memo discusses notes taken on June 9, 2004 from a telephonic interview with [redacted] concerning his knowledge of abuse at AG. The interviewee stated he never observed or heard of detainee abuse and/or nudity. Interviewee did state he believed ...
Mar. 03, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, Sexual, Isolation, Nudity