Source:

February 28, 2010

Released prisoners are pressured to provide coerced confessions to express their support for the Leader.

RAHANA – A large number of released prisoners have been contacted and told to get ready for upcoming interviews. The interviews will be conducted in Evin after the prisoner is summoned to the prison.

According to Jaras, prisoners have been contacted by their interrogators. The prisoners who have received such calls can be divided into 2 groups: The first group consists of those have received their initial rulings and the second group are those prisoners who are awaiting their verdict.

During the interview prisoners were given a script that contained the confession and asked by the interrogator to say the content in their own words. Prisoners who refused to comply were threatened that their sentences will be enforced and they will spend Nowruz in prison, or should expect harsher sentences for those who have not yet received their court rulings.

The dictated confessions underline prisoner’s support for the Leader and his positions.

After the interview, the text of the confession is given to news agencies which are closer to the reformist camp for broadcast. In the new scenario, apart from ISNA which was the first place prisoners were taken to immediately after release, ILNA has also been ordered to publish the coerced confessions. Additionally, unlike in the past, the date of the interview could be days or months from the time of their release. Furthermore, the text of the interview is given directly by the authorities to the news agency.

The directors of the news agencies who have refused to publish the interviews have been told they either have to comply or resign from their jobs.

One released prisoner told Jaras, “there is no difference between our homes and the prison; the entire country has become a prison. Despite the fact that I and other released prisoners have not been engaged in political activities since our release, we have, nonetheless, been pressured by our interrogators to praise the Leader in interviews”.