A Tunisian man formerly held in secret United States Central Intelligence Agency custody have described previously unreported methods of torture that shed new light on the earliest days of the CIA program. Lotfi al-Arabi El Gherissi, 52, recounted being severely beaten with batons, threatened with an electric chair, subjected to various forms of water torture, and being chained by his arms to the ceiling of his cell for a long period.

Thousands of children in conflict-affected countries have been detained without charge for months or even years as national security threats.

Families reported the disappearance of their relatives to the police and sought help from various authorities, but the authorities failed to inform them of the detainees’ whereabouts or to properly investigate allegations of abuse.