Death- row jihadists in Iraq ‘ confess’ on prime- time TV

◗ The show titled escorts convicted jihadists back to the scene of their crime under heavy security ◗ By spotlighting ISIS atrocities, it aims to stamp out any remaining support for the jihadist group’s ideology

Baghdad, Feb. 6: Every Friday in Iraq, a gripping show on state television beams the alleged confessions of death- row jihadists into homes around the country.

At peak viewing time, it broadcasts gruesome images of their purported crimes before interviewing the convicts, who appear clad in orange or yellow jumpsuits.

Baghdad declared victory against the Islamic State group in December, after years of fighting to regain vast stretches of territory the jihadists seized in 2014.

Iraq has detained thousands of suspected members of ISIS, a group infamous for deadly attacks, mass killings and the execution of detainees in orange jumpsuits.

Once a week, a show titled In the grip of the law escorts convicted jihadists back to the scene of their crime under heavy security.

By spotlighting ISIS atrocities, the show aims to stamp out any remaining support for the jihadist group’s ideology, its presenter says.

“I get tipped off by the interior ministry, the defence ministry or national security, who captured them,” Ahmad Hassan, 36, says. “They choose the case to highlight and I ask the justice ministry for permission to interview the convict,” says Hassan, whose show is aired by state channel Al- Iraqiya.

The programme is up to its 150th episode, he says, and not about to end any time soon.

“Even if ISIS has lost militarily, its ideology still exists,” he says.

“Its supporters view others as non- believers and will continue to murder as long as its ideology lives on.”

Dressed in a beige suit and brown tie, on a set meant to evoke a detective agency, Hassan starts his show each week with shocking images.

One episode opens with a photo of dozens of Sunni tribesmen lying in a pool of their own blood, after their 2014 execution by ISIS in Heet.