According to filmmaker Maziar Bahari's documentary, since the 1979 overthrow of the Shah, Iran's religious and political leaders have employed forced confessions—made by tortured individuals—as a medium for communicating to the outside world. Their basic message: Iran's government is being targeted by the West with lies and sabotage, and the CIA and other agencies are recruiting Iranian students, journalists, academics, and others as spies. Forced Confessions introduces several people who endured terrible experiences and ultimately yielded to painful pressure to denounce themselves. Among them we meet Faraj Sarkohi, an author who was arrested for writing in a style other than “Islamic Realism”; Ali Afshari, a student activist who held out under torture and threats of rape until his interrogators made threats against his mother; and Siamak Pourzand (1931-2011), a journalist who was tortured up to 12 hours a night. All speak on camera about the horrors they underwent and the fallout of the false confessions which they made publicly. Offering a disturbing look at what life in Iran has been like for those who dare to speak out, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Forced Confessions
(2013) 58 min. DVD: $390. Icarus Films. PPR. Closed captioned. Volume 30, Issue 1
Forced Confessions
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