Iran broadcasts forced ‘confessions’ to dissuade dissidents, activists say

“Confessions televised under coercion in totalitarian regimes like Iran fulfill several central functions, including manufacturing political legitimacy, creating a false official narrative – such as presenting peaceful protesters as violent agents of foreign influence – and deterring dissent,” Roya Boroumand, director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, told AFP.