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 (3096)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
Mar. 02, 2004 | ACLU-RDI 6514
A letter from the CIA to OLC requesting that the OLC reaffirm its analyses in several previously issued memos relating to interrogation. The letter states that "we rely on the applicable law and OLC guidance to assess the lawfulness of detention ...
June 13, 2016
Legal Memo, Letter
CIA General Counsel
Jack Goldsmith
EIT, SERE, Use of water, Water dousing, Physical assault, Stomach/abdominal slap, Environmental manipulation, Temperature
Dec. 01, 2004 | ACLU-RDI 6498
N/A
Oct. 15, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6470
This document is an email to redacted FBI officials seeking guidance regarding military request to interview Special Agents in the field in Afghanistan on detainee abuse and deaths. Patrick Kelley responds that National Security Law Branch is ...
Oct. 30, 2009
Email
Patrick Kelly
[Redacted] (OGC) (FBI)
Patrick Kelly, Frankie Battle, Thomas J. Harrington
Sept. 02, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6469
This document is a memo in reference to a NCIS request for the FBI to release information on all people who have had interaction with two detainees who have alleged abuse at the hands of military personnel and their interpreters. The detainees' ...
Oct. 30, 2009
Non-legal Memo
FBI Office of General Counsel
Counter Terrorism Unit
Dec. 01, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6468
This document is an email describing the allegations of a detainee (whose name is redacted). The detainee claims to have been abused by two FBI agents in Afghanistan who later came back to interrogate him in GTMO. Detainee claimed that the FBI ...
Oct. 30, 2009
Email
Valarie E. Caproni
Redacted; Charlene Thornton
Valerie E. Caproni, Charlene B. Thornton, Julie F. Thomas, Frankie Battle, Thomas J. Harrington
Threat
Dec. 01, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6467
This document is an email describing the allegations of a detainee (whose name is redacted). The detainee claims to have been abused by two FBI agents in Afghanistan who later came back to interrogate him in GTMO. Detainee claimed that the FBI ...
Oct. 30, 2009
Email
Valerie E. Caproni
[Redacted] (OGC) (FBI); Charlene B. Thorton (INSD) (FBI); Frankie Battle (CTD) (FBI); Julie F. Thomas (OGC) (FBI); [Redacted] (CTD) (FBI); T.J. Harrington (CTD) (FBI); [Redacted] (CTD) (FBI); M. [Redacted] (CTD) (FBI); [Redacted] (CTD) (FBI)
Valerie E. Caproni, Charlene B. Thornton
Threat
Jan. 15, 2004 | ACLU-RDI 6465
This document is a "Welcome aboard packet" for Rotation 6 of FBI agents in Iraq. Contains a mission statement, general instructions and recommendations for life at the Baghdad Operations Center (BOC). The document names On Scene Commander, E. ...
Non-legal Memo
Edward H. Lueckenhoff, M. Chris Briese
Jan. 12, 2004 | ACLU-RDI 6463
This document is a memo which mentions the Financial Privacy Act and the Buckley Amendment, healthcare fraud. It also mentions an upcoming meeting "to discuss whether WFO SAs may live in undercover properties."
Oct. 30, 2009
Non-legal Memo
Unlisted
Valerie E. Caproni
Valerie E. Caproni
Nov. 17, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6462
This document is an email in which two FBI officials discuss advice given on reading Miranda warnings to detainees overseas. Most of the document is redacted.
Oct. 30, 2009
Email
[Redacted] (OGC) (FBI)
Julie F. Thomas
Julie F. Thomas
Dec. 20, 2004 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 6460
This document is mostly redacted. The most substantive portion states that [Redacted] (OGC) (FBI) sent an unredacted copy of an email from 1/21/04 5:15 p.m. entitled "Subject: FWD: re: Impersonating FBI."
Oct. 30, 2009
Email
Valerie E. Caproni
Julie F. Thomas
Valerie E. Caproni, Julie Thomas