An infographic falsely claiming that Iran plans to kill 15,000 protesters for participating in the country’s civil protests has gone viral on Instagram and other social media sites in recent days, according to Snopes.
The news: The viral posts have gained traction after being shared by some well-known figures, such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and even highlighted in an updated article by Newsweek, per BBC.
- Since the posts have gone viral, several journalists and other news sources have debunked these claims.
The facts: There is currently no solid evidence to support the claim that 15,000 people are being sentenced to death for participating in the civil rights protests in Iran.
- The 15,000 number may have come from the number of people who have been arrested for participating in the protests, Snopes said.
- As of Wednesday, the death toll in relation to the protests in Iran has reached 342, including 43 children and 26 women, the Iran Human Rights organization stated.
The bigger picture: In September, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was taken into custody for allegedly violating Iran’s morality laws, which require women to adhere to a strict policy of modesty, per UPI. Amini died while in police custody.
- Police state that Amini's death was caused by a heart attack, but other credible sources say her death was a result of beatings from police, per the Deseret News.
- Since Amini’s death, thousands of people in Iran have taken to the streets to protest these morality laws and the death of Amini.