From the book by Lion Feuchtwanger “Moscow, 1937”

... Even if we discard the ideological motives and take into account only external circumstances, the accused were downright forced to confess. How were they supposed to behave after they saw a very impressive investigative material in front of them, exposing them of their deed? They were doomed, whether they were recognized or not. If they confess, then perhaps their confession, against all odds, will give them a glimmer of hope for pardon. Roughly speaking: if they do not confess, they are one hundred percent doomed to death, if they confess, ninety-nine percent. Since their inner convictions do not object to confession, why shouldn't they confess? It is clear from their concluding remarks that such considerations actually took place. Of the seventeen defendants, twelve asked the court to take into account, as an extenuating circumstance, their confession when passing the verdict.

Willy-nilly, they had to express their request in approximately the same words, and this finally began to produce an almost terrible, tragicomic impression. During the final words of the latter, everyone was nervously waiting for this request, and when it was actually uttered - and each time in an inevitably monotonous form, the listeners could hardly contain their laughter ...

Lion Feuchtwanger. "Moscow, 1937".