Home > South-East Asia >> Indonesia

Established procedures for the interrogation of prisoners

The following is a part of section 13 of a Udayana (which covers East Timor) regional command manual titled "Established Procedures for the Interrogation of Prisoners. PROTAP/01- B/V11/1982". The manual was one of a number of secret documents which provide conclusive evidence that violence and torture are officially sanctioned as a means of obtaining information. When Amnesty International publicised its existence on July 20, 1983 it caused Jakarta considerable embarrassment, the regime responding with denials and accusations that the manual was a forgery.

"Hopefully, interrogation is accompanied by the use of violence will not take place except in certain circumstances when the person is being interrogated is having difficulty telling the truth (is evasive).

If it proves necessary to use violence, make sure that there are no people around (members of TBO, Hansip, Ratih or other people) to see what is happening, so as not to arouse people's antipathy. The use of violence often results in the person under interrogation being forced to admit guilt because of fear, and therefore he/she will just comply with all of the wishes of the interrogator. Avoid taking photographs showing torture in progress (people being photographed at times when they are being subjected to electric current, when they have been stripped naked, etc.). Remember not to have such photographic documentation developed outside, in Den Pasar, which could then be made available to the public by irresponsible elements."