History Main / InterrogatedForNothing

* ''Series/Hunter1984''. In "Death Machine", a couple rob a sleazy businessman of a fortune in jewels, so he get a PsychoForHire (the titular [[QuincyPunk Death Machine]]) to track them down and get his jewels back. Death Machine goes around torturing to death various fences who have no idea who did the crime as the robbers were a couple of amateurs, as shown when they try selling their jewels at a legitimate jewelry store whose owners call the police.

* An episode of ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' that saw one of Director Vance's personal friends be killed saw the director himself interrogate the man's stepson, psychologically torturing the young man in his quest for "justice," even slamming an axe into the interrogation table in anger. The kid breaks down, claiming he wanted his stepfather dead, and that he hated the man. In reality, while they did have a strained relationship, it was nowhere near that bad. The poor kid just wanted out.

* ''Manga/MariaNoDanzai'': As Kowase tries to torture Yajima by drowning her, repeatedly asking her why he can't find his videos on her phone, Yajima repeatedly answers that she doesn't know what the hell he's talking about. She really doesn't; [[MisplacedRetribution the one who hacked Kowase's phone was Maria]], and Kowase is acting based on a suspicion based on circumstantial evidence. Of course, since he's currently undergoing a VillainousBreakdown over Maria's blackmail, he's too desperate to get back control of his life to listen to Yajima and doesn't believe her.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' does this, although actual torture isn't shown (though mentioned). Instead, [[DragonWithAnAgenda Redcloak]] tells [[ThePaladin O-Chul]] that innocent people will be [[DeaderThanDead fed to the Snarl]] if he doesn't give up everything he knows about Girard's Gate. (And a control group will be thrown off the other side of the tower, to die normally. ForScience) Seeing that he remains silent, Redcloak has to concede that he really doesn't know anything. [[labelnote:Explanation]]By DnD rules: a Paladin ''must'' save lives by any means possible if it is within their power to do so, or they lose the Paladin status. If O-Chul actually had the information, he would have been forced to reveal it to save the prisoners.[[/labelnote]] Also PlayedWith: he admits to [[MookLieutenant Jirix]] that he ''knew'' the torture wouldn't work, but was just using it to stall for time with [[BigBad Xykon]]. He seems honestly surprised about the SadisticChoice's results, though.

* Near the end of ''Anime/LastExile'', [[spoiler:Alex Rowe is given a TruthSerum by Delphine in order to obtain the information that she needs. It turns out that Alex never entrusted himself with the last piece of the poem, [[XanatosGambit predicting the possibility of being captured and interrogated.]]]]

* ''Anime/NowAndThenHereAndThere'': This happens to Shu during the first few episodes. Worse, [[spoiler:Abelia is quite aware from the beginning that he doesn't know anything but is forced to keep torturing him, on King Hamdo's orders.]]

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10340937/29/The-Return-Remixed The Return-Remixed]]'', DEAR does this to Wrestling/MollyHolly, thinking she's the one who has been helping train the Diva Army; [[spoiler: it was [[Wrestling/CarleneMoore Jazz]]]]. They interrogate her and refuse to believe her claims that she's just there to visit since WWE were appearing near her home in Minnesota. [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]] tries to break her by giving her a TraumaticHaircut, and it's pretty clear she's doing it more ForTheEvulz than anything else.
* In ''Fanfic/WhiteDevilOfTheMoon'', two people are needlessly tortured for the same incident.
** [[spoiler: Nanoha's sister Miyuki was being interrogated on her sister's powers. Unfortunately for both Beryl and Miyuki, albeit in different ways, all of Nanoha's explanations of her magic went straight over her head. Of course, the torture was probably going to happen [[DisproportionateRetribution because Miyuki nicked Beryl's face during an escape attempt.]]]]
** [[spoiler: Nephrite was accused of bringing Miyuki to Beryl for an assassination attempt, and Beryl was trying to wring evidence of his duplicity from him. Unfortunately for him, he was completely loyal. He just didn't expect his hostage to be a BadassNormal.]]
* ''Fanfic/RemnantInferisDOOM'': The SDC kidnaps and tortures Team SSSN for information about the Doom Slayer, even though they had never met him and don't know anything about him.
* In ''Fanfic/GirlsUndPanzerHopeDies'', Erika is abducted and tortured, with the hopes of getting her to confess to killing Miho. It turns out that the actual killer is [[spoiler:Yukari, of all people]].

* In ''{{Series/Firefly}}'' “[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/96304 Salvage Mission]]”, Jayne is tortured by the Alliance for information on Simon and River. When Mal tracks him down after he was sold into slavery, Jayne tells him he one upped them by pushing the stuff they wanted out of his mind. The torture and slavery had a harsh impact on his mind but he didn’t betray anyone this time because he couldn’t, he’d forgotten it.

* In ''Film/UnderworldBloodWars'', Marius beats up Selene and demands to know where her daughter Eve is, wanting her blood to become more powerful, but Eve left without telling Selene where she went. He is finally convinced Selene doesn't know when [[spoiler:Alexia drinks her blood to read her memories.]]

* The Medieval Italian poem [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infelix_ego Infelix Ego]] (Unhappy Me) by Girolamo Savonarola in 1498 is a prayer by a priest asking forgiveness from God for making a false confession of hearsay under torture. It swept Italy at the time and got a gorgeous musical setting -- not least because the implication, that he was innocent after all, was so subversive.

* ''Series/{{Yeralash}}'' has an episode about a boy first tortured and then shot for refusing to answer a single question [[spoiler:(how much is 7*8)]].

* ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda:''

* In ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' episode "[[Recap/EdEddNEddyS5E7NoSpeakDaEd No Speak Da Ed]]" , Ed receives some wolf-based trinkets from a pen pal. Unfortunately, Rolf recognizes them as being from his family's sworn enemy and becomes convinced that Ed is in league with him, captures the Eds, and tries to make Ed talk by dunking his head in oatmeal. However, not only does Ed not know what Rolf is talking about[[note]]as the kids were all assigned the pen pals they were in contact with and none of them had personally met[[/note]], but he's not even bothered by being dunked in oatmeal, even though it goes on for several hours. [[spoiler:It all becomes moot anyway as it's revealed that the whole thing was a gag by Double-D's pen pal]].

** Inverted in Splinter's backstory where Shredder and the Foot attacked and interrogated his master Yoshi for information on the people he was hunting, only for Yoshi to defiantly reply "He who lives without honor will end without honor". Thinking Yoshi knew nothing, Shredder killed him. Turns out that Yoshi had ''full'' knowledge of the Utroms and [[HeroicSacrifice nobly said nothing as he took his knowledge to the grave with him]].

* In the ''Series/{{Haven}}'' episode "301", Audrey Parker and an old woman are kidnapped and brutally interrogated by a menacing, silhouetted man about the Colorado Kid case from 27 years ago. Audrey's memories from that time period have been erased, and the old woman simply can't remember that far back.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' does this, although actual torture isn't shown (though mentioned). Instead, [[DragonWithAnAgenda Redcloak]] tells [[MemeticBadass O-Chul]] that innocent people will be [[DeaderThanDead fed to the Snarl]] if he doesn't give up everything he knows about Girard's Gate. (And a control group will be thrown off the other side of the tower, to die normally. ForScience) Seeing that he remains silent, Redcloak has to concede that he really doesn't know anything. [[labelnote:Explanation]]By DnD rules: a Paladin ''must'' save lives by any means possible if it is within their power to do so, or they lose the Paladin status. If O-Chul actually had the information, he would have been forced to reveal it to save the prisoners.[[/labelnote]] Also PlayedWith: he admits to [[MookLieutenant Jirix]] that he ''knew'' the torture wouldn't work, but was just using it to stall for time with [[BigBad Xykon]]. He seems honestly surprised about the SadisticChoice's results, though.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': When the Beast Pirates attack Zou while looking for Raizo, the [[BeastMan Mink Tribe]] initially insists that they do not know anyone by that name, but allow the Beast Pirates to search the entire island if they want to. [[TheBrute Jack]], who is leading the Beast Pirates, has no patience for that and ''demands'' that Raizo be brought to him at once. Things escalate until, after four days of fighting, [[CombatPragmatist Jack breaks out]] a [[DeadlyGas poison gas weapon]] to neutralize the Minks, allowing him to torture their leaders for Raizo's whereabouts. Even after mutilating and crucifying them, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi repeatedly swear to Jack that they do not know who Raizo is and that Jack is free to kill them if he really is there. Before Jack can continue torturing them, however, he is forced to leave Zou once he receives the news that Doflamingo has been arrested by the Marines and tries to mount a rescue. [[spoiler:The trope is then {{subverted|Trope}} in the most epic fashion when it turns out that Raizo ''was in Zou all along'', that he was hidden away and chained up so that he would not reveal himself, and that [[UndyingLoyalty every man, woman and child in the Mink Tribe would sooner die than betray him or anyone from the Kozuki Clan]], of which Raizo is a retainer.]]

->"''I fear you speak upon the rack''
->''Where men enforced do speak anything.''"

* Creator/TimDorsey's novel ''The Stingray Shuffle'': a gang of Russian former intelligence operatives turned drug smugglers kidnap and insurance adjuster and threaten to torture and execute him if he doesn't talk. He swears he doesn't know anything, and their leader orders them to break into the insurance office. When he complains aloud that he can't find a certain file, the adjuster speaks up and tells him exactly where to find it, and that any information not in the file was published in the newspapers at the time. The leader asks him, incredulously, why he didn't say any of this earlier; the adjuster, equally incredulous, says that the rest of the "squad" (who are [[StupidCrooks certifiable morons]]) just kept saying, ''"tell us what you know!"'' without asking any kind of specific questions.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', Ed receives some wolf-based trinkets from a pen pal. Unfortunately, Rolf recognizes them as being from his family's sworn enemy and becomes convinced that Ed is in league with him, captures the Eds, and tries to make Ed talk by dunking his head in lard. However, not only does Ed not know what Rolf is talking about[[note]]as the kids were all assigned the pen pals they were in contact with and none of them had personally met[[/note]], but he's not even bothered by being dunked in lard, even though it goes on for several hours. [[spoiler:It all becomes moot anyway as it's revealed that the whole thing was a gag by Double-D's pen pal]].
-->'''Rolf:''' ''(Exhausted after hours of fruitlessly trying to make Ed talk)'' [[WorthyOpponent The Ed-boy's fortitude is to be admired.]]

-->'''Rolf:''' ''(Exhausted after hours of fruitlessly trying to make Ed talk)'' The Ed-boy's fortitude is to be admired.

* Up until the Nineteenth Century, people in Europe were often accused of witchcraft. The vast majority of the accused, believe it or not, were not witches. This did not stop the interrogators from torturing them in an attempt to gain a confession of witchcraft. In the event that the accused made no confessions, they were deemed to be obstinate and the level of torture was escalated until they either did confess or expired.

* In ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', when Rick's conflict with the Galactic Federation comes into focus, and they get a lock on him, he ends up driving away with his family and assures them that the authorities now in question will grab them, hook their crotch to their equivalent to a car-battery "until you tell them where I am -- which I guarantee you you're not gonna know, which I guarantee ''they won't believe''".
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': In "The Boiling Rock: Part 2," the prisoner who got caught attempting Sokka's prison escape tells the warden that his accomplice was one of the guards he had an issue with. The warden goes on to violently interrogate that guard to find out more information about the escape. Azula, of all people, arrives in the middle of the interview, watches the guard for a few seconds, and declares that he wasn't involved.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', Ed receives some wolf-based trinkets from a pen pal. Unfortunately, Rolf recognizes them as being from his family's sworn enemy and becomes convinced that Ed is in league with him, captures the Eds, and tries to make Ed talk by dunking his head in lard. However, not only does Ed not know what Rolf is talking about[[note]]as the kids were all assigned the pen pals they were in contact with and none of them had personally met[[/note]], but he's not even bothered by being dunked in lard, even though it goes on for several hours. [[spoiler:It all becomes moot anyway as it's revealed that the whole thing was a gag by Double-D's pen pal]].
-->'''Rolf:''' ''(Exhausted after hours of fruitlessly trying to make Ed talk)'' The Ed-boy's fortitude is to be admired.

** In ''Deathly Hallows'', the heroes are captured along with Gryffindor's sword - which Bellatrix Lestrange (falsely) believes is inside her vault at Gringotts. She tries to torture the truth out of Hermione, who hasn't been anywhere near Gringotts. She even admits as much, and dupes Bellatrix into thinking the sword is a fake.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' does this, although actual torture isn't shown (though mentioned). Instead, [[DragonWithAnAgenda Redcloak]] tells [[MemeticBadass O-Chul]] that innocent people will be [[DeaderThanDead fed to the Snarl]] if he doesn't give up everything he knows about Girard's Gate. (And a control group will be thrown off the other side of the tower, to die normally. ForScience!) Seeing that he remains silent, Redcloak has to concede that he really doesn't know anything. [[labelnote:Explanation]]By DnD rules: a Paladin ''must'' save lives by any means possible if it is within their power to do so, or they lose the Paladin status. If O-Chul actually had the information, he would have been forced to reveal it to save the prisoners.[[/labelnote]] Also PlayedWith: he admits to [[MookLieutenant Jirix]] that he ''knew'' the torture wouldn't work, but was just using it to stall for time with [[BigBad Xykon]]. He seems honestly surprised about the SadisticChoice's results, though.

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' does this, although actual torture isn't shown (though mentioned). Instead, [[DragonWithAnAgenda Redcloak]] tells [[MemeticBadass O-Chul]] that innocent people will be [[DeaderThanDead fed to the Snarl]] if he doesn't give up everything he knows about Girard's Gate. (And a control group will be thrown off the other side of the tower, to die normally. ForScience!) Seeing that he remains silent, Redcloak has to concede that he really doesn't know anything. Also PlayedWith: he admits to [[MookLieutenant Jirix]] that he ''knew'' the torture wouldn't work, but was just using it to stall for time with [[BigBad Xykon]]. He seems honestly surprised about the SadisticChoice's results, though.

* In the ''Series/StargateSG1''episode ''Off the Grid'', the team is fleeing from some Lucian Alliance goons when the Stargate is suddenly teleported away. [=SG-1=] is promptly taken captive and interrogated about the gate's location, even though, as they point out, if they were behind it, why would they make the gate disappear ''before'' they escaped through it?

* In the ''Series/StargateSG1''episode ''Off the Grid'', the team is fleeing from some Lucian Alliance goons when the Stargate is suddenly teleported away. [=SG-1=] is promptly taken captive and interrogated about the gate's location, even though, as they point out, if they were behind it, why would the make the gate dissapear ''before'' they escaped through it?

* ''Film/TheForeigner2017'': When Ngoc Minh Quan's daughter is killed in a terrorist bombing by a group calling itself "the Authentic IRA", he goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge. Because the politician Liam Hennessy is a former member of the original IRA, Quan continually attacks him, thinking he is connected with the bombers and demanding their names. However, Hennessy honestly doesn't know who they are and is in fact investigating them to try to bring them to justice, and Quan's attacks keep disrupting his investigation.