Human Rights Report: Iran’s State Media Broadcast at Least 355 Suspect Forced Confessions Over a Decade

A human rights organization announced in a published report that Iran’s Islamic Republic Broadcasting Organization has broadcast at least 355 suspected cases of forced confessions over the past decade.

According to a report by the Associated Press on Thursday, June 26, the report states that the broadcast of confessions by state media has been used as a tool by security agencies to “suppress opponents” and also to “intimidate activists” in the Islamic Republic.

The investigation into the broadcast of forced confessions on state media was published by the Justice for Iran organization and the International Federation for Human Rights.

The report contains cases of forced confessions by prisoners being broadcast, in which they were instructed to read their confessions from a whiteboard.

The issue of forced confessions on Iran’s state television has been raised repeatedly in the past. Despite the fact that this propaganda method of the Iranian regime in broadcasting televised confessions has been repeatedly criticized by human rights bodies, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic continues to do so. Among the victims of this practice, one can mention names such as Maziar Bahari, Manouchehr Bakhtiari, father of one of those killed in November protests, Maziar Ebrahimi, Sepideh Ghollian, Ebrahim Bakhshi, Saeed Malekpour, and dozens of others.

Source: Voice of America