black site

American  

[blak sahyt] / ˈblæk ˈsaɪt /

noun

1. a location that is never publicly acknowledged as existing, where secret military and defense operations, including the detention and interrogation of suspected terrorists, are conducted out of reach of the law and normal systems of oversight.

   Thailand was likely the first country to host a CIA black site, where suspected 9/11 terrorists were detained.

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black site British  

noun

1. a secret facility used by a country's military as a prison and interrogation centre, whose existence is denied by the government

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Etymology

Origin of black site

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

To file a habeas petition is basically what ensures that you won’t be sent to a black site or put in a prison without ever getting out.

From Slate • May 21, 2025

Prosecutors gave defense lawyers the material but did not disclose the location of the last known intact prison of the black site program.

From New York Times • Jun. 17, 2024

The C.I.A.’s black site program was established by the administration of President George W. Bush in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and was shut down by President Barack Obama.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024

His testimony was meant to offer an account of what may have been on videotapes that senior CIA leaders destroyed at a time when the Senate Intelligence Committee was investigating the black site activities.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2022

Defense lawyers for al-Nashiri questioned Mitchell on Monday and Tuesday about what went on for several weeks in the black site in November 2002.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2022