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 (56)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
OLC | ACLU-RDI 4597

Summary of OLC legal advice to the Counsel to the President, the CIA, and the DoD regarding the CIA's and DoD's interrogation programs. [OLC Vaughn Index # 159]

Aug. 24, 2009
Legal Memo
Alberto R. Gonzales
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Walling, General, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation
OLC | ACLU-RDI 4599

An OLC summary of three OLC opinions issued to the CIA in May 2005 regarding the legality of the CIA's interrogation program. Those three opinions are listed as "Related Documents." [OLC Vaughn Index # 164]

Aug. 24, 2009
Legal Memo
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Water dousing, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Sleep deprivation, Dietary manipulation, Nudity
OLC | ACLU-RDI 4600

This undated draft OLC memo summarizes OLC opinions regarding interrogation of detainees. Much of it is similar to the other OLC memos concerning the CIA's interrogation program, with several exceptions. For example, on page 2, the memo notes ...

Aug. 24, 2009
Legal Memo
Alberto R. Gonzales, John L. Helgerson, Scott W. Muller, John D. Ashcroft
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation
| ACLU-RDI 6553
This July 9, 2002 email from [redacted] to [redacted] re: Description of Physical Pressures, includes the contents of a memo from Jim Mitchell describing "potential physical and psychological pressures" to be used on a particular detainee. The ...
Non-legal Memo, Email
James Mitchell
Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Threat, Mock Burial, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Other Humiliation
CIA | ACLU-RDI 6515
This document, prepared by the Chief of Medical Services, summarizes and reflects upon the rendition, detention and interrogation program. The findings include that in a particular no evidence was found that the use of waterboard produced ...
June 13, 2016
Non-legal Memo
Gul Rahman, Abu Zubaydah
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, General, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Threat, Mock Burial, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Temperature, Nudity
CIA | ACLU-RDI 6557
This document, prepared by the Chief of Medical Services, summarizes and reflects upon the rendition, detention and interrogation program. The findings include that in a particular no evidence was found that the use of waterboard produced ...
Sept. 30, 2016
Non-legal Memo
James Mitchell , Bruce Jessen
Abu Zubaydah, Gul Rahman
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, General, Face slap or insult slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Threat, Mock Burial, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Temperature, Nudity
| ACLU-RDI 6516
This July 9, 2002 email from [redacted] to [redacted] re: Description of Physical Pressures, includes the contents of a memo from an operational psychologist describing "potential physical and psychological pressures" to be used on a particular ...
Non-legal Memo, Email
Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Threat, Mock Burial, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Other Humiliation
| ACLU-RDI 6494
Report from the Office of Inspector General on Counterterrorism Detention and Interrogation Activities from September 2001-October 2003, specifically focusing on the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs).
Oversight Report
CIA Office of Inspector General
Abu Zubaydah
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, General, Face slap or insult slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Threat, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Temperature, Nudity
| ACLU-RDI 6598
This OLC summary contains advice to the Counsel to President, CIA, and DOD on the use and legality of interrogation techniques in the war against terrorism.
Aug. 31, 2016
Legal Memo
Abu Zubaydah
Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Walling, Threat, Assault/death, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Use of phobias
OLC | ACLU-RDI 6591
This memorandum from Steven Bradbury to John Rizzo analyzes whether certain enhanced interrogation techniques used by the CIA in the interrogation of high value al Qaeda detainees would violate US law under Article 16. The memorandum concludes ...
Legal Memo
Steven G. Bradbury
John A. Rizzo
Steven G. Bradbury, John A. Rizzo
EIT, Use of water, Waterboarding, Physical assault, Face slap or insult slap, Stomach/abdominal slap, Attention grasp, Facial hold, Walling, Stress positions, Cramped confinement, Sleep deprivation, Dietary manipulation, Nudity