National Security | Torture

ACLU v. Department of Defense: Torture FOIA

In 2003, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records relating to the abuse and torture of prisoners in U.S. detention centers overseas. Since then, the government has released more than 100,000 pages. These documents show both that hundreds of prisoners were tortured in the custody of the CIA and Department of Defense, and that the torture policies were devised and developed at the highest levels of the Bush administration.

April 15, 2010

Initiating Documents
> First ACLU FOIA request (10/7/2003)
> DOD letter refusing expedited processing of first FOIA request (10/30/2003)
> Second ACLU FOIA request (5/25/2004)
> DOD letter denying expedited processing of second FOIA request (6/21/2004)
> Amended Complaint (7/6/2004)
> ACLU memo in support of motion for preliminary injunction (7/6/2004)
    - Declaration of Lawrence Lustberg
> District court order with respect to processing of FOIA requests (8/17/2004)
> District court opinion and order with respect to processing of FOIA requests (9/15/2004)
> Complaint for injunctive relief relating to 2008 FOIA request (6/11/2009)

Documents Relating to Abuse Photographs
> ACLU memo in support of first motion for partial summary judgment (1/13/2005)
> District court opinion and order denying application by CIA for stay of FOIA obligations (2/2/2005)
> CIA / DOD brief in opposition to ACLU first motion for partial summary judgment and in support of cross-motion (3/30/2005)
    - Declaration of Geoffrey S. Corn
    - Declaration of Edward Cummings
    - Declaration of Charles A. Allen
    - Declaration of Diane Beaver
    - Declaration of Stewart Aly
    - Declaration of Marilyn A. Dorn
> ACLU reply in support of first motion for partial summary judgment and opposition to CIA / DOD cross-motion (4/28/2005)
    - Declaration of Marco Sassoli
    - Declaration of Scott Horton
> CIA / DOD reply in support of cross-motion (5/19/2005)
    - Third Declaration of Stewart Aly
    - Second Declaration of Michael Seidel
> District court order granting ACLU first motion for partial summary judgment and ordering release of abuse photographs (6/1/2005)
> DOD supplemental brief in opposition to first ACLU motion for partial summary judgment (7/22/2005)
    - Declaration of General Richard B. Myers (redacted)
    - Declaration of Ronald Schlicher (redacted)
    - Declaration of Philip J. McGuire (redacted)
> ACLU supplemental brief in support of first motion for partial summary judgment (8/3/2005)
    - Declaration of Michael Pheneger
> ACLU motion to vacate protective order (8/3/2005)
    - amicus brief of Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press (8/3/2005)
> DOD reply in further opposition to first ACLU motion for partial summary judgment (8/10/2005)
    - supplemental declaration of General Richard B. Myers
> ACLU reply in further support of first motion for partial summary judgment (8/12/2005)
    - Declaration of Khaled Fahmy
    - Second Amended Declaration of General Richard B. Myers (filed 08/29/05)
    - Declaration of Ronald Schlicher (filed 08/29/05)
> District court opinion ordering release of abuse photographs and rejecting CIA's "Glomar" exemption with respect to one document (9/29/2005)
> District court order denying DOD motion for reconsideration of 09/29/05 order (11/2/2005)
> District court order denying DOD relief from of 09/29/05 order (12/19/2005)
> District Court Order (4/10/2006)
> DOD appeal brief concerning abuse photographs (6/9/2006)
> District court supplemental order requiring release of abuse photographs (6/21/2006)
> Government's Letter Re: 23 Other Photos (6/29/2006)
> ACLU appeal brief concerning abuse photographs (9/7/2006)
    - amicus brief of National Security Archive (9/14/2006)
    - amicus brief of Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press (9/13/2006)
    - photo appendix of Reporters' Committee brief (9/13/2006)
    - amicus brief of New York City Bar Association (9/14/2006)
    - amicus brief of Professors of Law of Armed Conflict (9/14/2006)
> Second Circuit decision affirming order requiring DOD to release abuse photographs (9/22/2008)
> Second Circuit order denying DOD's petition for rehearing en banc (3/9/2009)
> Government's letter to Second Circuit regarding anticipated release of torture photos (4/23/2009)
> Government's letter to District Court reversing position on torture photos (5/13/2009)
> Government's motion to recall the mandate (5/28/2009)
> Opposition to motion to recall the mandate (6/1/2009)
> ACLU letter to DOD Re: Information Regarding Prisoner Abuse Images (6/2/2009)
> Second Circuit order recalling mandate re photos (6/10/2009)
> Government petition for cert to Supreme Court (8/7/2009)
> Government petition for cert to Supreme Court Appendix (8/7/2009)
> ACLU brief opposing government petition for cert to to Supreme Court (9/8/2009)
> Human Rights Watch et al. amicus brief opposing government petition for cert to Supreme Court (9/8/2009)
> Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 16 news media organizations amicus brief opposing government petition for cert to the Supreme Court (9/8/2009)

Documents Relating to CIA Contempt
> ACLU motion to hold CIA in contempt for destruction of interrogation tapes (12/12/2007)
> ACLU supplemental brief in support of contempt motion (12/19/2007)
> CIA opposition to ACLU contempt motion (1/10/2008)
    - Declaration of Peter Skinner
    - Declaration of Constance Rea
> ACLU reply in support of motion for contempt and sanctions (1/14/2008)
    - Declaration of Amrit Singh
> District court order deferring consideration of ACLU contempt motion (9/16/2008)
> District court order deferring consideration of ACLU contempt motion (1/6/2009)
> CIA letter to district court acknowledging that CIA personnel destroyed 92 interrogation videotapes (3/6/2009)
    - Videotape inventory
    - Description of tapes
> CIA letter to district court regarding documents relating to destroyed tapes (3/20/2009)
> District court order requiring CIA to submit "workplan" for production of documents relating to destruction of videotapes (3/27/2009)
> CIA letter to Judge Hellerstein regarding workplan for ACLU contempt motion (4/9/2009)
> ACLU response to CIA workplan (4/10/2009)
> Government's letter to District Court regarding index of records related to CIA destruction of video tapes (5/1/2009)
> CIA's letter to district court accompanying Vaughn index (5/1/2009)
> Vaughn index regarding Abu Zubaydah interrogation (Part 1) (5/1/2009)
> Vaughn index regarding Abu Zubaydah interrogation (Part 2) (5/1/2009)
> Government and ACLU's letter to District Court regarding proposed production schedule (5/5/2009)
> District Court order declining request to postpone production (5/7/2009)
> Government letter to District Court regarding list of contemporaneous and derivative records (5/18/2009)
    - List of contemporaneous and derivative records (5/18/2009)
> Government letter to District Court regarding April 20, 2009 order (5/18/2009)
> Declaration of Leon E. Panetta (6/8/2009)
     - Declaration of Leon E. Panetta – Index 1 (6/8/2009)
     - Declaration of Leon E. Panetta – Index 2 (6/8/2009)
> Government's letter to District Court seeking extension of time to file brief (7/1/2009)
> Plaintiffs' fifth motion for partial summary judgment (7/24/2009)
> Government reply in support of its fifth motion for partial summary judgment (9/22/2009)
> Declaration of Wendy Hilton (9/22/2009)
> Second declaration of Leon E. Panetta (9/22/2009)
> Government's letter to District Court regarding processing of records related to destroyed videotapes (10/19/2009)
> Vaughn index of hard copy documents relating to the reasons or people behind CIA’s destruction of 92 videotapes (11/20/2009)
> Vaughn declaration of Wendy Hilton (11/20/2009)
> Vaughn index of electronic documents relating to the reasons or people behind CIA’s destruction of 92 videotapes, Part 1 (1/08/2010)
> Vaughn index of electronic documents relating to the reasons or people behind CIA’s destruction of 92 videotapes, Part 2 (1/08/2010)
> Vaughn index of electronic documents relating to the reasons or people behind CIA’s destruction of 92 videotapes, Part 3 (1/08/2010)
> Vaughn index of electronic documents relating to the reasons or people behind CIA’s destruction of 92 videotapes, Part 4 (1/08/2010)
> Vaughn index of electronic documents relating to the reasons or people behind CIA’s destruction of 92 videotapes, Part 5 (1/08/2010)
> Vaughn index of electronic documents relating to the reasons or people behind CIA’s destruction of 92 videotapes, Part 6 (1/08/2010)
> Vaughn declaration of Wendy Hilton (1/08/2010)

Documents Relating to the OLC Documents
> Vaughn Index of OLC Documents withheld in FOIA lawsuit (3/2/2007)
> ACLU's motion for a preliminary injunction compelling the OLC to process the Bradbury memoranda (10/29/2007)
> Government's opposition to the motion for a preliminary injunction (11/5/2007)
> ACLU's reply in support of its motion for a preliminary injunction (11/8/2007)
> Court's order denying the government's request for reconsideration (10/29/2008)
> Declaration of Steven G. Bradbury in support of the government's claim that the Bradbury memoranda are exempt from disclosure (11/7/2008)
> District court order requiring DOJ to process March 2005 Bradbury memos (8/28/2008)
> ACLU's motion for partial summary judgment arguing for the release of the Bradbury memoranda (12/12/2008)
> Government's letter to District Court requesting extension (3/16/2009)
> Government's request for an extension to respond "because the memoranda are being reviewed for possible release" (3/19/2009)
> ACLU's Letter to the Government Requesting Reconsideration of Position on Memoranda (3/26/2009)
> Government's letter to Judge Hellerstein requesting extension (4/2/2009)
> Government's letter to the ACLU re redactions in the Bradbury/Bybee memos (4/21/2009)
> Vaughn Index of OLC documents withheld in FOIA lawsuit (9/21/2009)
> Vaughn Declaration of Wendy Hilton, CIA, regarding OLC documents (9/21/2009)
> Vaughn Declaration of David J Barron, OLC, regarding OLC documents (9/21/2009)
> Vaughn Index of OLC documents withheld in FOIA lawsuit (11/13/2009)
   Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV
> Vaughn Declaration of Wendy Hilton, CIA, regarding OLC documents (11/13/2009)
> Vaughn Declaration of David J. Barron, OLC, regarding OLC documents (11/13/2009)
> Vaughn Declaration of David J. Baron, OLC, and accompanying Vaughn Index of 56 non-OLC documents discovered by the OLC withheld in FOIA lawsuit (11/20/2009)
    > Vaughn Declaration of Stewart F. Aly, DOD (11/20/2009)
    > Vaughn Declaration of Margaret P. Grafeld, DOS (11/20/2009)
    > Vaughn Declaration of David M. Hardy, FBI (11/20/2009)
    > Vaughn Declaration of Mary Ronan, NSC (11/20/2009)

Documents Relating to CIA OIG Report
> Letter from CIA to ACLU re: CIA IG report (6/19/2009)
> Government letter to Judge Hellerstein requesting extension (6/26/2009)
> ACLU letter to District Court Re: Government's failure to comply with scheduling order (7/1/2009)
> ACLU letter to Hellerstein opposing CIA IG report extension (7/2/2009)
> Government letter to Judge Hellerstein regarding CIA OIG special review report extention to August 31 (7/2/2009)
> Order (7/21/2009)
> Vaughn Declaration of Wendy Hilton, CIA, re: OIG documents (8/31/2009)
> CIA Vaughn Index of information withheld in FOIA lawsuit (8/31/2009)

Back to main Torture FOIA page >>

 
 
Statistics image