Belarus dissident’s ‘confession’ video suggests coercion and torture, experts and advocates say

A video purporting to show dissident Belarusian journalist Roman Protasevich confessing to organizing “mass riots” has met with skepticism from scholars, family members and human rights groups who say that there is little doubt that he was coerced.

The 29-second video surfaced Monday evening, a day after Belarusian authorities forced a plane with Protasevich on board to land so that he could be arrested, roiling European aviation and prompting an E.U. agreement to impose sanctions. In the footage, Protasevich, seated against a blank wall in a brightly lit room, says that he is being treated “as correctly as possible” and is not experiencing any health problems.