Saddam used to have similar TV show trials for his opponents too.
It appears that the same methods for inducing these 'confessions' are still in effect according to this article and others I have read on this subject.
Quote:
Seated before an Iraqi flag, the dejected and cowed prisoners answer questions from an off-camera inquisitor who mocks their behavior. Some sport bruised faces and black eyes.
. . . .
The bruised faces and the death of at least one prisoner after his appearance on the show have raised questions about the men's treatment in custody. Kadhim denied the prisoners were being abused. "There is absolutely no motive for us to torture them," he said.
In recent reports, the State Department and Human Rights Watch have criticized the use of torture by Iraqi police.
"In light of our recent findings about the prevalence of torture in Iraqi prisons," said Joe Stork, a Washington-based spokesman for Human Rights Watch, "we have serious concerns that these confessions were not also coerced and that the Iraqi authorities failed to provide essential due process protections."
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