When Torture Goes Public: How Belarus Turns Forced Confessions Into a Tool of Fear
In Belarus today, torture no longer hides behind closed doors. It plays out in full public view, streamed on television, uploaded to YouTube and pushed across Telegram channels. The authorities have built a system that films detainees under duress and broadcasts their forced confessions to millions of people. These videos, now produced on an almost industrial scale, have one purpose: to intimidate society and crush dissent.
A new OMCT briefing exposes how this system functions, who it targets and why the public dissemination of forced confessions must finally be recognised as a distinct form of torture or other ill treatment. With Belarus approaching its next review by the UN Committee against Torture (CAT), the findings could not be more urgent.
A Scripted Machinery of Coercion
The process usually begins almost immediately after arrest. People are recorded when they are frightened, cut off from any support and often still showing visible signs of violence. Officers hand them scripts that must be read on camera. The words may force them to renounce deeply held beliefs, to apologise to the state, or to admit to crimes they did not commit. Survivors describe beatings, threats and humiliation until their delivery matched exactly what the security services demanded.
Nothing in these videos is spontaneous. They are filmed in official premises, surrounded by state symbols or arranged with degrading props that reinforce the message of total control. The person on camera is not speaking; they are being spoken through.
Turning Abuse Into Public Spectacle
Once recorded, the videos are fed directly into the state’s propaganda machine. They appear on national television, on official YouTube channels and through pro government Telegram accounts, often edited with patriotic music, dramatic visuals or commentary designed to shame and degrade the person on screen.
The intention is unmistakable. On one level, the recordings break the individual by forcing them to contradict their identity, values or community. On another, they serve as a warning to the public: dissent will not only be punished but humiliated publicly, and the authorities will act without restraint.
Belarus stands out as an extreme case in Europe, not because the abuse is hidden, but because it is displayed. The cruelty is not a secret; it is part of the message.
Trauma That Follow Survivors for Years
For survivors, the impact does not end with the recording. Many describe an overwhelming sense of shame and isolation, along with depression, anxiety and an erosion of self. Psychologists speak of a collapse of personal identity, where people struggle to reconcile the coerced version of themselves in the video with who they truly are.
The fear that these videos will remain online forever adds another layer of harm. Many worry that they will resurface each time they apply for a job, meet new people or try to rebuild their lives. Their families, children and communities are also drawn into the stigma. The punishment continues long after the camera stops.
A Critical Moment for the UN Committee Against Torture
The timing of OMCT’s findings is significant. In its Article 20 inquiry, the UN Committee against Torture concluded that torture in Belarus is systematic. This new evidence shows that the public dissemination of forced confessions has developed into a separate and expanding pattern of abuse, one that remains unaddressed in international law and practice.
As Belarus heads into its upcoming CAT review, the Committee has a unique opportunity to close this gap. OMCT stresses that the public broadcasting of coerced confessions should be recognised as a direct violation of Articles 2, 15 and 16 of the UN Convention against Torture. The review can and should call for an immediate end to the practice, demand the removal of these videos from public platforms, and insist on genuine accountability for those responsible.
Why the World Cannot Look Away
What is happening in Belarus matters far beyond its borders. When states begin to broadcast coerced confessions, they turn human suffering into political messaging and manipulate public opinion through fear. They rewrite reality, present victims as criminals and signal that the rule of law has been replaced by the rule of force.
If this model remains unchecked, others may be tempted to follow. Technology makes it easy. Impunity makes it attractive.
Confronting a Form of Torture Hiding in Plain Sight
Forced confession videos are designed to erase dignity and replace truth with fear. By exposing this system, OMCT seeks to restore the humanity and the voices that the Belarusian authorities attempt to silence.
As the UN Committee against Torture prepares for its next examination of Belarus, the international community faces a rare moment of leverage. The question is whether it will use it. Public humiliation and psychological violence are not tools of governance. They are torture. And the world must respond accordingly.
