U.S. Government Reports on Torture

The U.S. military has conducted a number of investigations into detainee abuse. Unfortunately these investigations have been limited in their scope and thoroughness, with inadequate attention paid to the accountability of senior officials and the connection between policy and abusive practices. No military investigation has addressed the contributing role of the CIA to interrogation and detention abuse. In addition, a number of investigations have not been made public. They include the Church Report - an investigation into detention and interrogation operations at Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan (an executive summary was released, see below); the Jacoby Report - an investigation into detention operations in Afghanistan in May-June 2004; and the Formica Report - an investigation into allegations of abuse by Special Operations Forces in Iraq. An investigation into abuses at Guantanamo led by Gen. Randall Schmidt is not expected top be made publicly available either. The press has reported that some of these reports include incriminating information on abuse.

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Schmidt Report Executive Summary (PDF-1.6MB)

This military report was prepared by Lt. Gen. Mark Schmidt and Brig. Gen. John Furlow. It is an investigation into FBI allegations of abuse at Guantanamo Bay, and was presented before the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 13, 2005.


Church Report Executive Summary (external link)

The report was prepared by Vice Adm. Albert T. Church III on the development of interrogation techniques and abuses in Guantanamo, Iraq and Afghanistan. The report was released to members of Congress but has not been publicly released.


Taguba Report (PDF-223 KB)

The report was prepared by Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba on alleged abuse of prisoners by members of the 800th Military Police Brigade at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad. It was ordered by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the senior U.S. military official in Iraq, following persistent allegations of human rights abuses at the prison.


Fay/Jones Report (PDF-911KB)

This report reviewed the role of military intelligence at Abu Ghraib. It revealed that the incidents of abuse - 44 in all - far exceeded the amount of mistreatment shown in the Abu Ghraib photographs and included 24 serious incidents of physical and sexual abuse. The report, which was released Aug. 26, 2004, is named after the two generals who led the inquiry.


Schlesinger Report (PDF-5.8MB)

A report of a four-member advisory panel appointed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld which found that responsibility for the abuses at Abu Ghraib went “right up the chain of command.” The report was released August 25, 2004.

Army Inspector General Report (PDF-2.3MB)

Report, which was released July 22, 2004, finds 94 incidents of confirmed or possible detainee abuse occurred in U.S. prison facilities throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.

Miller Report

The report was prepared by Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller in September 2003 as part of his assessment of the Abu Ghraib detention facility. The report recommends the adoption of practices employed at Guantanamo Bay, where Miller was then the commander, as a model for personnel in Iraq, despite the fact that detainees at Guantanamo had been designated ‘enemy combatants” to whom the Geneva Conventions’ protections have not been applied.