Chega! Exhibition Centre (Former Comarca Balide Prison)
Centro Nacional Chega!
A former prison built by the Portuguese, where political prisoners were detained during the Indonesian occupation. It now houses the memorial exhibition center of the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation. “Chega!” means “Enough!”.
Balide Prison was built in 1963. During the Indonesian occupation it was used to detain and interrogate independence activists, many of whom were tortured. From 2002, the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) operated from here, and its final report is titled Chega! Today the site preserves small cells, solitary confinement rooms, and graffiti and drawings left on the walls by prisoners. Display panels recount human rights abuses and the process of reconciliation. Admission is free and the site is open on weekdays. You can ask staff to show you the cells. Located in the Balide district south of the city, it can be visited on the same day as the Resistance Museum.
Opening hours
Mon-Fri about 09:00-17:00 (confirm on site)
Nearby sights
- Santa Cruz Cemetery
- Timorese Resistance Archive & Museum
- Government Palace, Dili
- Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Dili
- Tais Market
- Motael Church (Saint Anthony of Padua)
- Dili Waterfront & Harbour Lighthouse
- Dare WWII Memorial Museum