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 (127)

Summary of investigations into abuse of detainees in Afghanistan and Iraq. 56 incidents not in facility: 7 death investigations. (3 homicides. 1 justifiable homicide. 3 investigations pending). 19 thefts. 29 assaults. 1 sexual assualt. 141 ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, Assault/death, Threat
Discusses incidents of abuse of detainees by Army personnel that have been substantiated. Legal discussion point out that Article 93 does not specifically prohibit these acts, but does prohibit cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment and intent ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, General, Assault/death, Stress positions, Use of phobias, Nudity, Sexual, Religious, Threat, Other Humiliation
Updates and supplements information paper prepared to provide information on CID investigations into allegations of abuse committed against detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan who are/were in US custody and the known disposition of cases following ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, Assault/death, Threat
This memo discusses investigations and outcomes including punishment. Total of 62 cases of detainee abuse and/or death have been or are being investigated - 46 by CID and 16 at the unit level. There are a variety of cases discussed. Many have ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Thomas J. Romig
Physical assault, General, Threat, Assault/death
Discusses existence of new photos of abuse of detainees. A CD of photographs was provided by CIA to Department of Defense who forwarded it to the Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID). Some of the photographs were the Abu Ghraib ones shown ...
Feb. 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Donald H. Rumsfeld, Janis Leigh Karpinski
Sexual, General, Sexual, Physical assault, Other Humiliation
Memo details a complaint made by a Private First Class (PFC), alleging that his unit members engaged in unlawful behavior. The PFC first alleged that while on patrol his platoon sergeant, a Sergeant First Class, ordered soldiers to fire upon ...
Dec. 21, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, General, Stress positions, Other
The investigative file details a complaint made by a Private First Class (PFC), alleging that his unit members engaged in unlawful behavior. The PFC first alleged that while on patrol his platoon sergeant, a Sergeant First Class, ordered ...
Dec. 21, 2005
Legal Memo, Non-legal Memo, Investigative File
Physical assault, General, Stress positions, Other
A DOD Contract Linguist stated that he was involved in at least two questionable interrogation techniques while on duty in Iraq. An unidentified interrogator choked a detainee with a rope noose, lifting the detainee up slowly until the detainee ...
Dec. 21, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, General, Threat, Assault/death
DOD memorandum referring accusations of abuse. The referral relates to a Guantanamo detainee's allegations that he was beaten while in custody in Afghanistan. Attached is a summary of an interview with the detainee.
Dec. 21, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault
A Detainee at Guantanamo reported that his fellow detainees beat him and threw urine upon him. This memo is an acknowledgment of the receipt of that complaint. This is related to ACLU RDI 616.
Nov. 30, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Physical assault, General, Other Humiliation