Definition

1. Verb:
   • To extort a confession/deposition: The act of using force, threats, or coercion to make someone, especially a suspect or prisoner, give a statement or admit to something, often against their will. This term is primarily used in legal and judicial contexts and implies an illegal or unethical interrogation method.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Cảnh sát bị cáo buộc đã bức cung nghi phạm. (The police officers were accused of extorting a confession from the suspect.)
  • Hành vi bức cung bị nghiêm cấm theo pháp luật. (The act of extorting depositions is strictly prohibited by law.)
  • Bị cáo tuyên bố lời khai trước đó là do bị bức cung. (The defendant claimed the previous statement was given under duress / was extorted.)

Advanced Usage

• This term carries a strong negative connotation and is almost exclusively used to describe unlawful, violent, or oppressive actions within a legal or penal system. It is not a neutral term for "to interrogate."

Variants and Related Words

• Bức (verb): To press, to force, to compel.
• Cung (noun, in this context): A deposition, a testimony, a statement given to authorities.
• Cung khai (verb): To give a deposition, to testify (neutral/formal term).
• Ép cung (verb): A synonym meaning to force a confession, very similar to .

Synonyms

• Tra tấn để lấy cung khai: To torture to extract a confession.
• Ép buộc nhận tội: To coerce into admitting guilt.

Related Phrases / Idioms

• Bức cung, bức tử (Idiom): This phrase pairs (extort a confession) with (drive someone to suicide), emphasizing extreme coercion leading to desperate consequences. It means to oppress or harass someone relentlessly.
  • Họ dùng mọi thủ đoạn, gần như là bức cung bức tử, để anh ta phải ký vào bản thoả thuận. (They used every trick, almost driving him to the brink, to force him to sign the agreement.)

1. Extort depositions from