Freedom of Information Act:

Government Documents on Torture

The ACLU filed a request on Oct. 7, 2003 under the Freedom of Information Act demanding the release of information about detainees held overseas by the United States. A lawsuit was filed in June 2004 demanding that the government comply with the October 2003 FOIA request.

Below are documents the government did not want the general public to read -- including an FBI memo (pdf) stating that Defense Department interrogators impersonated FBI agents and used "torture techniques" against a detainee at Guantanamo.

The public has a right to know.

(These documents can be viewed using Acrobat Reader)

• FBI Documents (5/26/05) | Press
  
• FBI Documents (5/25/05) | Press
  
• Army Documents (5/18/05) | Press
  
• Department of Defense (5/6/05)
  
• Army Investigative Files (4/21/05)
  
• Defense Intelligence Agency (4/20/05)
  
• Department of Defense (4/19/05) | Press
  
• Department of Defense (4/14/05)
  
• The September and October Sanchez memos (3/29/05) | Press
  
• Department of Defense (3/25/05) | Press
  
• Department of Defense, agencies agree on "ghost" detainees (3/9/05) | Press
  
• Army and Navy records, investigations of detainee abuse in Iraq (3/7/05) | Press
  
• Defense Department Documents (2/18/05) | Press
  
• Army records (1/24/05) | Press
  
• FBI, e-mails of McCraw inquiry into detainee abuse in Guantanamo (1/5/05) | Press
  
• Army, investigations of detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan (12/21/04) | Press
  
• FBI, e-mails of FBI agents witnessing the use of "torture techniques" in Guantanamo (12/20/04) | Press
  
• Navy, investigations of detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan (12/14/04) | Press
  
• Defense Intelligence Agency, State Department and FBI, detainee abuse by Task Force 626 in Iraq is reported, e-mails express concern about interrogation methods. (12/7/04) | Press
  
• Defense Department, Taguba report (10/19/04) | Press
  
• Office of Information and Privacy, Defense Department, Army and FBI, the Ryder Report (10/15/04) | Press

Careful review of these documents demonstrates that many other critical records have not been released. We will continue to fight for the public's right to know what the government's policies were, why these abuses were allowed to take place, and who was ultimately responsible, and encourage you to join the alliance to get these records released.

NEW LEGAL DOCUMENTS
ACLU's Opposition & Reply Brief (4/28/05)

• Expert Declaration of Scott Horton
• Expert Declaration of Marco Sassoli

DOD & CIA Opposition Brief (3/30/05)

• Expert Declaration of Edward R. Cummings
• Expert Declaration of Geoffrey S. Corn

ACLU Partial Summary Judgment Brief (1/13/05)

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

• Court Directs U.S. Government to Turn Over Torture Documents (8/18/04)
  
• Government Torture Documents Requested Under FOIA (8/16/04)
  
• Transcript of Hearing on Request for Release of Documents (8/12/04)
  
• ACLU's Reply Memo in Support of Preliminary Injunctive Relief (8/06/04)
  
• Amended Complaint (7/06/04)
  
• Memo in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction (7/06/04)
  
• Notice of Motion (7/06/04)
  
• Lustberg Affidavit (7/06/04)
  
• Defense Department letter denying expedited processing (6/21/04)
  
• Torture FOIA Complaint (6/02/04)
  
• ACLU FOIA Request (5/25/04)
  
• Defense Department letter refusing expedited processing (10/30/03)
  
• Defense Department letter rejecting appeal (2/10/04)
  
• State Department letter providing records (3/05/04)
  
• ACLU FOIA Request (10/07/03)

TAKE ACTION

• Urge the Attorney General to Appoint an Outside Special Counsel

STATEMENTS OF CO-REQUESTERS

• Physicians for Human Rights
  
• Veterans for Common Sense
  
• Veterans For Peace

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS AND ENTITIES

• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
  
• International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
  
• UN Human Rights Committee (monitors compliance with ICCPR)
  
• Convention Against Torture
  
• Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War

Watch the Movie

© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004

Source:
American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU Foundation.
ACLU Homepage