Français
Español
English
Portuguese
In the confessions, the detainees are forced to express remorse for their actions as well as accuse Israel and America of instigating the unrest.
By Dina Bucholz, Jewish Breaking News
Over the past two weeks, Iran has broadcast nearly 100 forced confessions, an unprecedented number for the hard-line Islamic regime, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a human rights group based in the United States.
These confessions feature blurred faces, dramatic background music, displays of apparently homemade weapons, and video footage of protesters attacking Iranian security forces and setting fires.
In the confessions, the detainees are forced to express remorse for their actions as well as accuse Israel and America of instigating the unrest. The Iranian government then uses this as proof of interference by its greatest foes.
Experts say these types of confessions are extracted through the use of psychological and physical torture, and, compounding the human rights abuses, are then used to justify the application of the death penalty.
“These rights violations compound on top of each other and lead to horrible outcomes,” said Skylar Thompson, an HRANA spokesperson. “This is a pattern that’s been implemented by the regime time and time again.”
Thompson said that the 97 confessions broadcast over a period of two weeks mark an unprecedented level for the Iranian regime. To put that in perspective, he compared it to the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. The young woman was killed over the alleged improper wearing of her hijab, unleashing a wave of protests that lasted for weeks and saw the killing of 500 protesters. During that time, by contrast, 37 confessions were publicized.
As a result, the European Parliament at the time passed a resolution denouncing “the Islamic Republic’s policy of forcing confessions using torture, intimidation, threats against family members or other forms of duress, and the use of these forced confessions to convict and sentence protesters.”
A 2014 United Nations report found that in trials that lasted only a few minutes, forced confessions were used in 70 percent of them. The U.N. also found that Iran had executed 975 people in 2024, the most since 2015. In 2024, only 3 percent of executions were for offenses such as espionage.
Since the 12-day war with Israel and the United States, Iran has executed 12 people, with the most recent execution taking place last week for what the regime said was spying for the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. The man confessed to the charges, likely under duress, according to human rights groups.
Human rights groups estimate that between 12,000 and 20,000 people have been killed in Iran.
Do You Love Israel? Make a Donation - Show Your Support!
Donate to vital charities that help protect Israeli citizens and inspire millions around the world to support Israel too!
Now more than ever, Israel needs your help to fight and win the war -- including on the battlefield of public opinion.
Antisemitism, anti-Israel bias and boycotts are out of control. Israel's enemies are inciting terror and violence against innocent Israelis and Jews around the world. Help us fight back!
