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 (10)

RelevanceDateRelease Date
June 10, 2006 | SOUTHCOM | ACLU-RDI 5844
This document is a Department of Defense (DOD) email discussing the apparent suicide of three (3) Guantanamo Bay detainees on June 10, 2006. The detainees: Yasser Al Zahrani, Mana Shaman Allabardi Al Tabi and Ali Abdullah Ahmed apparently took ...
Apr. 29, 2011
Non-legal Memo, Email
Thomas Schonebeck
Thomas Schoenbeck, Harry Binkley Harris, Jr, Kenneth Glueck, Edward A. Leacock, Peter A. Husta, Ronald L. Sollock, Whitney H. Howard, Anthony G. Battaglia, Michael I. Bumgarner, Paul B. Rester, Dirkland T. Smith
Ali Abdullah Ahmed, Yasser Al Zahrani, Mana Shaman Allabardi Al Tabi
June 03, 2011 | SOUTHCOM | ACLU-RDI 5837
This document is a Department of Defense (DOD) email with the schedule and check list for the handling of deceased Muslim Guantanamo detainees, including the Muslim ritual body preparation; how detainee remains were signed over to a Yemeni ...
Apr. 29, 2011
Chart/List, Email
Richard Kirk, Leroy D. Smalls, Norman Morrisette, Lon Oliver, Randel Newton, Gregory Hager
Dec. 29, 2004 | DOA | SOUTHCOM | ACLU-RDI 2324
Memorandum appointing Brigadier General John T. Furlow as the investigating officer for an AR 15-6 investigation into allegations made by the FBI regarding detainee abuse at Guantanamo. Allegations include the use of dogs, impersonation of FBI ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Bantz J. Craddock
John T. Furlow
Bantz J. Craddock, John T. Furlow
Stress positions, Use of phobias, Sleep deprivation, Environmental manipulation, Light or sound, Temperature, Manipulation of interrogator’s identity
Feb. 28, 2005 | DOA | SOUTHCOM | ACLU-RDI 2325
Memorandum appointing Lieutenant General Randall M. Schmidt as the senior investigating officer for the AR 15-6 investigation into allegations of detainee abuse at Guantanamo. His involvement is needed for interviews of officers senior in rank to ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Bantz J. Craddock
Randall Mark Schmidt
Randall Mark Schmidt, Bantz J. Craddock, John T. Furlow
May 05, 2005 | DOA | SOUTHCOM | ACLU-RDI 2326
Memo instructing Lt. Gen. Schmidt to expand the AR 15-6 investigation to cover the allegations of abuse mentioned in two memos, dated December 12, 2004, and February 28, 2005, sent to BG Furlow.
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Bantz J. Craddock
Randall Mark Schmidt
Bantz J. Craddock, Randall Mark Schmidt, John T. Furlow
Feb. 06, 2005 | DOA | SOUTHCOM | ACLU-RDI 2329
Memo from General Craddock to instructing Lt. Gen. Schmidt instructing him to to expand the AR 15-6 investigation to allegations of abuse involving a detainee whose name appears in an enclosure, and to make specific findings and recommendations ...
June 15, 2006
Non-legal Memo
Bantz J. Craddock
Randall Mark Schmidt
Randall Mark Schmidt, Bantz J. Craddock
SOUTHCOM | ACLU-RDI 2362
Heavily redacted memo from Joint Task force 160 requesting Joint Detention Operations Group support for an operation. The email authjor states that "This request has been reviewed by my Staff Judge Advocate and determined to be legally sufficient".
Jan. 15, 2003 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 3543
Department of Defense memo rescinding approval of the use of all Category II techniques and one Category III technique during investigations that were previously approved on December 2, 2002. Attaches memo from Jim Haynes, General Counsel of the ...
June 01, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Donald H. Rumsfeld
James T. Hill
Donald H. Rumsfeld, William J. Haynes, II, James T. Hill
Apr. 16, 2003 | DOD | ACLU-RDI 3544

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," ...

June 01, 2005
Non-legal Memo
Donald H. Rumsfeld
James T. Hill
Donald H. Rumsfeld, James T. Hill, Richard B. Myers
Stress positions, Sleep deprivation, Isolation, Dietary manipulation, Environmental manipulation
Aug. 27, 2002 | FBI | ACLU-RDI 2925
Unredacted text recommends behavioral team contact authors of attached study (redacted in full). At bottom, references to Psyop Planning Team and PowerPoint attachment labeled TerrorismBrief.ppt. The email is otherwise redacted.