In 2013, Open Society Foundation published this report titled, Globalizing torture. CIA secret detention and extraordinary rendition. It focuses primarily on human rights abuses associated with the CIA’s post-September 11, 2001, secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations. The report does not document extra-legal overseas transfers or secret detention of detainees by agencies other than the CIA. Thus, the U.S. Defense Department’s detention practices and its transfer of detainees to and from Guantánamo Bay or other military detention facilities are not the focus of this report.
The factual contents of this report are derived from credible public sources and information provided by reputable human rights organizations. Sources for the factual assertions are provided in accompanying endnotes. While every source has been carefully reviewed for indicia of credibility, it is ultimately impossible to corroborate every factual assertion due to the extraordinary level of government secrecy associated with secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations.