How Trusted Images Were Turned Into False Proof

Introduction

In Belarus, some of the most influential examples of staged evidence did not depend on doctored photographs or elaborate forgeries. Instead, they relied on something more powerful: real people speaking on camera and apparently trustworthy media platforms carrying fabricated claims. The resulting images looked authentic because the individuals, buildings and websites were genuine. What viewers could not see was the coercion behind a detention-room interview or the unauthorised manipulation of a news outlet that made a false story appear legitimate.

Since the political crisis that followed the 2020 presidential election, coerced confession videos and counterfeit news stories have become closely linked mechanisms of information control. One turns detainees into apparent witnesses against themselves; the other uses the credibility of recognised media brands to give invented claims an air of authenticity. Both work by hiding the process through which the evidence was produced.[omct.org]omct.orgNovember 27, 2025 — This briefing note was written and published by the World Organisation Against Torture. (OMCT), with the contribution…Published: November 27, 2025

How Confession Videos Concealed Coercion

The most visible example of staged evidence in contemporary Belarus has been the widespread use of filmed “confessions” by detainees. Human rights organisations, journalists and legal experts have documented a pattern in which arrested individuals appear on camera admitting wrongdoing, denouncing opposition activity or praising the authorities after being detained. Viewers are presented with a seemingly voluntary statement, while the conditions under which it was recorded remain hidden.[omct.org]omct.orgNovember 27, 2025 — This briefing note was written and published by the World Organisation Against Torture. (OMCT), with the contribution…Published: November 27, 2025

The practice expanded dramatically after the disputed 2020 election and the mass protests that followed. During that period, thousands of people were detained, and numerous reports described beatings, intimidation and torture in custody. In that environment, a confession shown on television or a pro-government Telegram channel could not be treated as an ordinary interview because the audience had no reliable way to know what pressure had preceded the recording.[Human Rights Watch]hrw.orgHuman Rights Watch Belarus: Systematic Beatings, Torture of ProtestersHuman Rights WatchBelarus: Systematic Beatings, Torture of ProtestersSeptember 15, 2020 — 15 Sept 2020 — Belarusian security forces arbit…Published: September 15, 2020

A recurring feature of these videos is their highly standardised format. Detainees often identify themselves by name, workplace or social-media activity, admit to political errors and express repentance. Some recordings include humiliating personal disclosures unrelated to any criminal allegation. Human rights groups argue that the purpose is not merely to extract information but to create a public spectacle that demonstrates the power of the state and discourages dissent.[omct.org]omct.orgNovember 27, 2025 — This briefing note was written and published by the World Organisation Against Torture. (OMCT), with the contribution…Published: November 27, 2025

The Raman Pratasevich Case

One of the best-known examples followed the diversion of Ryanair Flight FR4978 in May 2021. After journalist Raman Pratasevich was arrested in Minsk, Belarusian state television broadcast an interview in which he appeared to confess wrongdoing and praise President Alexander Lukashenko. Amnesty International and other observers argued that the circumstances of his detention made any appearance of voluntariness highly questionable, describing the broadcast as a forced confession and a form of ill-treatment.[Amnesty International]amnesty.orgbelarus raman pratasevich forced televised confession amounts to ill treatmentAmnesty InternationalBelarus: Raman Pratasevich forced televised 'confession'…4 Jun 2021 — On the evening of 3 June, Belarus' state-ru…

The significance of the episode lay not in whether viewers accepted every statement as true. Rather, the programme attempted to create evidence through performance. A detained journalist speaking calmly in a studio-like setting could be presented as proof that the authorities’ version of events was correct, even though the audience had no access to the conditions under which the interview was arranged.[Amnesty International]amnesty.orgbelarus raman pratasevich forced televised confession amounts to ill treatmentAmnesty InternationalBelarus: Raman Pratasevich forced televised 'confession'…4 Jun 2021 — On the evening of 3 June, Belarus' state-ru…

How Hacked Outlets Published Fabricated Stories

A second form of staged evidence emerged through the manipulation of trusted media platforms. Rather than creating entirely fake websites, operators sometimes sought to place fabricated stories on legitimate news outlets by compromising their publishing systems.

This technique attracted international attention through the so-called Ghostwriter campaign, which targeted media organisations and information environments in Eastern Europe. Security researchers and journalists documented incidents in which authentic news websites were breached and used to publish false reports. Because the articles appeared on recognised outlets, readers encountered them as apparently legitimate journalism rather than obvious propaganda.[WIRED]wired.comThis tactic has been part of the activities of a group called Ghostwriter, which has been active since at least 2017 and focuses on discr…

Some of the fabricated stories concerned NATO forces, military incidents and alleged threats to Belarus or neighbouring states. The crucial feature was not the content alone but the delivery mechanism. A false claim posted on an obscure website may attract little attention. The same claim appearing briefly on a respected local news site gains credibility from the reputation of the platform itself. Even after removal, screenshots and links can continue circulating as supposed proof that the story was genuine.[WIRED]wired.comThis tactic has been part of the activities of a group called Ghostwriter, which has been active since at least 2017 and focuses on discr…

For researchers of deception, this represents a shift from traditional fake news. Instead of inventing a counterfeit newspaper, operators exploit a real one. The website becomes a stage on which fabricated evidence is temporarily displayed before being amplified through social media, messaging channels and sympathetic commentators.[WIRED]wired.comThis tactic has been part of the activities of a group called Ghostwriter, which has been active since at least 2017 and focuses on discr…

Why Trusted Settings Made the Claims Believable

The effectiveness of both confession videos and compromised news outlets rests on the same psychological principle: people often judge information partly by its setting.

A detainee seated in front of a camera appears to be providing direct testimony. A story hosted on a recognised news domain appears to have passed editorial checks. In both cases, viewers are encouraged to focus on the visible evidence while remaining unaware of the hidden production process.[OMCT]omct.orgNovember 27, 2025 — This briefing note was written and published by the World Organisation Against Torture. (OMCT), with the contribution…Published: November 27, 2025

Several factors increased the persuasive power of these staged presentations:

This is why such cases differ from classic photographic hoaxes. The deception does not depend primarily on altering an image. Instead, it depends on controlling the circumstances under which genuine images and genuine platforms are presented to the public.

What Investigators and Rights Groups Exposed

Human rights organisations, press-freedom groups and independent journalists have spent years documenting the gap between appearance and reality in these productions.

Reports from organisations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and the World Organisation Against Torture have argued that confession videos violate basic protections against coercion, self-incrimination and degrading treatment. Their investigations focus on detention conditions, testimony from former prisoners and the systematic nature of the recordings rather than on the literal truth or falsity of any individual statement.[omct.org]omct.orgNovember 27, 2025 — This briefing note was written and published by the World Organisation Against Torture. (OMCT), with the contribution…Published: November 27, 2025

Meanwhile, cybersecurity researchers, investigative journalists and fact-checking projects have tracked the publication of fabricated stories through hacked media systems and broader disinformation networks. Belarus-focused fact-checking initiatives have catalogued recurring false narratives and documented how apparently authoritative sources can be manipulated or imitated.[investigatebel.org]investigatebel.orgOpen source on investigatebel.org.

The result has been a growing understanding that staged evidence often succeeds not because the evidence itself is convincing, but because the audience trusts the setting in which it appears.

Why These Episodes Matter in Belarus’s Hoax History

Belarus offers an unusual lesson in the history of deception. Many famous hoaxes rely on forged objects, fabricated documents or manipulated photographs. The Belarusian cases are notable because the most important element was often neither forgery nor invention. It was control.

A confession video may feature a real person. A counterfeit news story may briefly appear on a genuine website. Yet both can function as false proof when viewers are denied information about how the material was produced. The deception lies in the hidden process rather than the visible image.

For that reason, coerced confessions and counterfeit news occupy a distinctive place in Belarus’s history of contested truth. They show how authority, media infrastructure and public trust can be used to manufacture evidence without manufacturing the evidence’s appearance.[omct.org]omct.orgNovember 27, 2025 — This briefing note was written and published by the World Organisation Against Torture. (OMCT), with the contribution…Published: November 27, 2025

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Endnotes

1. Source: omct.org
Link:https://www.omct.org/site-resources/files/Belarus-Public-Broadcasting-of-Forced-Confessions.pdf

Published: November 27, 2025

2. Source: amnesty.org
Title: belarus raman pratasevich forced televised confession amounts to ill treatment
Link:https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2021/06/belarus-raman-pratasevich-forced-televised-confession-amounts-to-ill-treatment/

3. Source: wired.com
Link:https://www.wired.com/story/hackers-broke-into-real-news-sites-to-plant-fake-stories-anti-nato

4. Source: state.gov
Title: BELARUS 2020 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT
Link:https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/BELARUS-2020-HUMAN-RIGHTS-REPORT.pdf

5. Source: investigatebel.org
Link:https://investigatebel.org/en/fakenews/search

6. Source: investigatebel.org
Link:https://investigatebel.org/en/fakenews/search?tag%5BtagsType%5D=4

8. Source: rsf.org
Title: belarus rsf shocked humiliating methods used against journalists
Link:https://rsf.org/en/belarus-rsf-shocked-humiliating-methods-used-against-journalists

9. Source: hrw.org
Title: Human Rights Watch Belarus: Systematic Beatings, Torture of Protesters
Link:https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/15/belarus-systematic-beatings-torture-protesters

Published: September 15, 2020

10. Source: hrw.org
Link:https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/belarus

11. Source: hrw.org
Title: belarus crackdown political activists journalists
Link:https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/07/30/belarus-crackdown-political-activists-journalists

12. Source: hrw.org
Title: belarus crackdown bitter humour stem pain
Link:https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/25/belarus-crackdown-bitter-humour-stem-pain

13. Source: hrw.org
Title: belarus crackdown independent journalism
Link:https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/29/belarus-crackdown-independent-journalism

14. Source: hrw.org
Title: belarus systematic beatings torture protesters
Link:https://www.hrw.org/video-photos/video/2020/09/14/belarus-systematic-beatings-torture-protesters

15. Source: hrw.org
Title: belaruss shocking new low crushing dissent
Link:https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/05/24/belaruss-shocking-new-low-crushing-dissent

Additional References

16. Source: youtube.com
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q8ZuuKMRVk

17. Source: youtube.com
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhXwPULXXEA

18. Source: youtube.com
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT9PUaWLK4A

19. Source: youtube.com
Title: Belarus authorities release second confessional video
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXrKQgWyMFU

20. Source: youtube.com
Title: Family members say Belarusian video confessions are clearly coerced
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvrVcTpipIs

21. Source: debunk.org
Link:https://www.debunk.org/all-articles/categories/disinformation-about-belarus

22. Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/uninvhrc/posts/investigating-human-rights-violations-the-mandate-of-the-group-of-independent-ex/122187612866593164/

23. Source: baj.media
Link:https://baj.media/en/state-propaganda-claims-bic/

24. Source: theguardian.com
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/feb/28/facebook-takes-down-disinformation-network-targeting-ukraine-meta-instagram

25. Source: by.usembassy.gov
Title: 2023 country reports on human rights practices belarus
Link:https://by.usembassy.gov/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices-belarus/