prison for the CIA in the early 2000s. Such locations are commonly called “black sites”,

and are best known as terrorist holding cells located in countries without strict anti-torture

laws. So what exactly is a black site?

Well, in the week following 9/11, President George W. Bush issued a classified memo to

the National Security Council. It allowed the CIA to set up secret foreign prisons for

purposes of detainment and [quote] “enhanced interrogation”. Five years later, Bush finally

acknowledged the existence of such sites. And then in 2014, the Senate Intelligence

Committee released a report investigating the torture methods carried out by the CIA

during the Bush administration. The Torture Report found that the first black site was

opened in 2001 and held multiple terrorism suspects, including top al-Qaida operatives.

At least 53 countries were involved in the CIA’s torture program and some of them,

like Thailand, Poland and Lithuania, were hosts to black sites. One infamous black site

was located in Afghanistan, and was known as the Salt Pit or the Dark Prison. The Torture

Report revealed that prisoners were kept in total darkness at all times, given a bucket

to use for waste, and in at least one case, left in a cold cell to freeze to death. To

learn more about the Torture Report, check out Trace’s explanation.

Despite harsh, and potentially unlawful conditions, in 2006, the Bush Administration maintained

that the detention of “illegal combatants” in foreign black sites is the US’ “right

under the laws of war.” President Bush also maintained, in a historical sound bite:

“the United States does not torture.” Considering the recently released torture

report, it would appear that this was not true.

In 2003, the CIA kidnapped German citizen, Khaled El-Masri, while he was on vacation.

For the next four months, El-Masri was interrogated, beaten, tortured and even sodomized during

his imprisonment in Afghanistan’s Salt Pit. Eventually the CIA realized that he was not

the Al Qaeda suspect they were looking for, and the then National Security Advisor ordered

his release. El-Masri went on to sue a number of government bodies he claimed were responsible

for his detainment. All US courts, including the Supreme Court, refused to hear his case.

In 2012, the European Court of Human Rights found the CIA to be in violation of international

law and awarded El-Masri 60,000 Euros as compensation. Two years later, the U.S. acknowledged in

the Torture Report that El-Masri was one of 26 people mistakenly detained.

Despite President Barack Obama’s 2009 reversal on torture and unlawful extradition, black

sites are reportedly still in use around the world.

If you’re full of curiosity about the world, you’ll be excited to hear that we’ve launched

a brand new daily show called Seeker. It’s all about finding the unique perspectives

and inspiring stories that make us ask questions that really matter. Take a look at this recent

video I made that questions if there are ever times censorship can be a good thing. Click

the link in the description if you want to see more, and please don’t forget to subscribe!