On July 30, whistleblowers, whistleblower advocates, and government officials will gather on Capitol Hill for the National Whistleblower Center’s annual National Whistleblower Day celebration. Among the featured speakers will be John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer, author, and internationally recognized whistleblower who exposed the CIA’s use of torture during the war on terror.
Kiriakou spent 14 years with the CIA, serving as the chief of counterterrorist operations in Pakistan following the September 11 terrorist attacks. In 2007, he became the first US government official to publicly confirm that CIA officials used waterboarding to torture prisoners at CIA “black sites” during interrogations. As a result, Kiriakou was convicted for passing classified information to the media and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Since his release, Kiriakou has spent significant time emphasizing the lack of protections for national security whistleblowers. He is a prominent advocate on issues including whistleblower protection, torture, civil liberties, prison reform, and government accountability.
He was featured in the 2014 Emmy-nominated documentary Silenced and hosts the podcast John Kiriakou’s Dead Drop.
Kiriakou is also the author of several books detailing his time in the CIA and federal prison. He recently started his own podcast discussing his experiences and advocacy. For his whistleblowing and defense of civil liberties, Kiriakou has received major honors, including the Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage, the Sam Adams Award, and the PEN First Amendment Award.
More speakers are still to be announced for the 2026 National Whistleblower Day celebration. In addition to Kiriakou and his fellow whistleblowers, senators Charles Grassley (R-IA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and James Lankford (R-OK) will be giving remarks, as well as IRS Whistleblower Office Director Erick Martinez and CFTC Whistleblower Office Director Raagnee Beri. The waitlist to attend the National Whistleblower Day luncheon remains open at nationalwhistleblowerday.org/rsvp.
