How Iran survives - Defectors expose the secret apparatus

How do you make a soldier shoot at unarmed protestors? Iran's regime has spent 40 years perfecting the answer. In this DW investigation, two high-ranking defectors expose the brutal system of repression. "No one says: shoot. The order is: stop the protest. How you do it — is up to you." Two high-ranking defectors — a former intelligence officer and a commander in Iran's elite special forces — went on the record. Using burner phones, encrypted apps and code words, DW's investigative unit spent months verifying their identities and the documents, photos and footage they shared. They reveal secret command centers activated during protests, a clandestine circle of officers responsible for ordering extrajudicial killings — and a system of total control that reaches into the private lives of those who serve it. Both men say they have been handed death sentences in absentia. This is the story they are risking their lives to tell. An investigation by Naomi Conrad, Birgitta Schülke and Farzane Saeedi 00:00 "I cried during my prayers" 01:46 The two defectors 05:13 Recruited at 18 06:56 Life in the compound: total control 09:10 Anatomy of Iran's security apparatus 11:54 The command center 14:31 Kosar: "He smiled, and took aim" 18:52 Agents among the protesters 21:07 Dakhme: the killing machine 25:23 "Fight or die" #documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs #DWInvestigations ______ DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary. Subscribe to: ‬ ⮞ DW Documentary (English): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumentary ⮞ DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumental ⮞ DW Documentary وثائقية دي دبليو (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdocarabia ⮞ DW Documentary हिन्दी (Hindi): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdochindi ⮞ DW Dokumenter (Indonesian): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDokumenter ⮞ DW Doku (German): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdoku For more visit: http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610 Follow DW Documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/ Follow DW Documental on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwdocumental We kindly ask viewers to read and stick to the DW netiquette policy on our channel: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G