Preventing Torture An Operational Guide for National Human Rights Institutions A key challenge you can face is that the reason you are conducting the interview may not be the same as the reason the interviewee agreed to speak with you. As a result, what the interviewee wants to tell you may not be the information you are looking to collect. In these situations you should pursue your objective at the same time as respecting the interviewee’s wish to share information that is important to them. You have no power to make someone tell you something they do not want to share. Gather many pieces of information from a single interviewee An interview allows people to describe events that they have experienced. At the simplest level, someone you are interviewing might primarily talk about something that has happened to them. However, they may also have knowledge of other people’s cases and the information they provide may help corroborate another person’s testimony. It may also help determine whether there is a pattern of torture or if it is a systemic practice. Respond to information that the interviewee provides One of the benefits of conducting interviews is the opportunity to respond directly to information that is provided by the interviewee and to ask follow-up questions. This interaction with the interviewee may help you to understand an issue in greater detail or provide new and revealing information on an issue that you had not anticipated. Cross-check information Image: APF / Michael Power Interviews may also allow you to cross-check and confirm – or not – information that you have collected from other person. 44 | Chapter 5: Interviewing