Claim: Malala Yousafzai “is silent about human rights abuses in Pakistan”. Fact: Soch Fact Check has identified at least 14 instances since the start of 2018 wherein Malala has spoken up about human rights or condemned human rights abuses in Pakistan. On 30 July 2023, Twitter user @MerruX responded to a tweet by Malala Yousafzai, […]
Claim: US Marshals have arrested Bill Gates and charged him with “war crimes against humanity”; he is now being held under armed watch at Guantanamo Bay. The text is attributed to the Washington Post. An accompanying photo shows Gates strapped to a gurney. Fact: Gates has not been arrested and the accompanying photo has been […]
Claim: Afghan singer Hasiba Noori was shot dead by unknown assailants in Peshawar in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Fact: There is no truth to the claim. Hasiba Noori has released a video statement saying that she is alive. Police in Peshawar and Quetta have also denied receiving information about any such targeted killing. On 17 […]
Claim: A picture shows a car on fire amid riots in Belgium over the June 2023 police killing of Nahel M in Paris, France. Fact: The picture is unrelated to the June 2023 France protests and is, in fact, from football fans engaging in arson in Amsterdam following Morocco’s win over Belgium in the 2022 […]
Claim: A video shows Algerians atop the Monument à la République in Paris as riots erupted in France over the killing of an Algerian teenager in June 2023. Fact: The video is unrelated to the June 2023 protests in France and is actually from the 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations against former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. On […]
Claim: Leaked audio picked up by search and rescue officials has been released, with banging sounds from the ill-fated Titan submersible being heard. Fact: The leaked audio has no basis in reality. Neither the US Coast Guard nor the Canadian authorities released any audio. On 21 June 2023, Facebook page ‘Frankie Olivo’ posted a video […]
Claim: A picture shows three stunt doubles of Tom Cruise. Fact: The men are not the stunt doubles of Tom Cruise. In fact, the picture is AI-generated. On 8 June 2023, Instagram account @fhmpakistan posted a picture (archive) showing what the magazine claims are “three stunt doubles” of Hollywood actor Tom Cruise. @fhmpakistan captioned the […]
Claim: Geo News reported in one of their news bulletins that hospital sources have confirmed Khadijah Shah was sexually assaulted in prison. Fact: The visual is manipulated and the editor of Geo News’ Urdu website has confirmed that it is a doctored image. On 28 May 2023, Facebook user ‘Imtiaz Hussain Pti’ posted two pictures […]
Claim: A viral WhatsApp message claims that Michael Jackson’s unreleased last song was about Hajj and that Saudi Arabia bought the rights from the US. Fact: Michael Jackson did not record this song, but Pakistani-Canadian singer Irfan Makki. It was uploaded on YouTube in 2012. The other claim that it was bought by Saudi Arabia […]
Claim: The missing submersible Titan was found empty. Fact: A CNN spokesperson has confirmed that the image was fabricated. The screenshot is, therefore, doctored. On 21 June 2023, Facebook page ‘Swagteamondeck’ posted a reel (archive) containing a screenshot allegedly from a CNN report, claiming that a submersible named Titan, which went missing a few days […]
Claim: Instagram user @feella.artx has claimed that a March 2023 report is proof the UN has called for the decriminalisation of sexual relations between adults and minors. Fact: The claim is false. A report prepared by the ICJ, UNAIDS, and the OHCHR provides a guideline on the application of criminal laws. It includes suggestions on […]
Claim: A photo shows the badly-bruised back of a female PTI supporter who was tortured in custody following a government crackdown on the party in response to protests over Imran Khan’s arrest. Fact: The image shows the back of a woman who was tortured at a dance event in Peshawar in 2021. It is unrelated […]