Here’s a roundup of some of most viral, but totally false stories and visuals from the week. Despite being shared on social media, none of these stories are true. They were checked by the Associated Press. These are the facts:
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Photo taken in Iraq to make a fake image of Afghan women chained
CLAIM: This photo shows three Afghan women tied to each other, and walking behind a man holding the end of the chain.
FACTS: This photo is fake. It was digitally added to chains and was based upon an old photo. Murat Duzyol, a photographer, told The Associated Press that he took the original photo at Erbil, Iraq in February 2003. The altered photo was shared in tweets. This is just one of many misleading social media posts that emerged after Sunday’s takeover by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The photo was manipulated by Twitter users who suggested it showed Afghan women walking alongside a man. The edited photo shows chains digitally attached to the ankles of the women. The man holds the chain. The original photo did not include a chain. It was also taken in Iraq and not Afghanistan. “#AfghanWomen. A Twitter user tweeted the altered photo, “God bless women and children. An institution like the United Nations is now ineffective.” The photo has been posted many times and misrepresented over the years. One blog claimed the photo was taken in Afghanistan. It showed a picture of women walking five paces behind their husbands. Duzyol, a Turkish resident, said that he took the photograph in 2003. He was often visiting Iraq at that time and taking photos. He said that the day the photo was taken was marked by a commemoration of the deaths in Erbil of civilians from Iraq. This random composition appeared on the street as people returned to their homes following the ceremony. Duzyol explained via email that it was a “completely instant snapshot” and “completely natural”. “The women clearly knew each other but I don’t think they knew the man,” Duzyol explained in an email. Many fear that the Taliban will enforce the same strict interpretation of Islamic law as was used when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Women were not allowed to go to school or have jobs outside of the home at that time. When they went out in public, women had to wear burqas. The Taliban claimed that they would honor women’s rights according to Islamic law after taking power, but many Afghans remain skeptical.
This report was contributed by Arijeta Lajka, New York Associated Press writer.
Picture of Afghan men in a plane is from 2018
CLAIM: This photo shows an entire plane of Afghan refugees fleeing the country, not one woman nor child.
THE FACTS: In fact, this photo appeared online as early as 2018. According to an article published by Turkey’s state-run news agency Anadolu Agency at the time, it shows Afghan refugees returning to their homeland from Turkey. The photo shows a line of men waving to the camera as they walk down the aisle of the plane. It has been shared by social media users as new this week. They claim it only shows men and no children being evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan. One Facebook user commented alongside the photo, “And not one woman nor child among them!” As if the invasion at our southern border wasn’t enough. The biden Administration now is flying in fighting-aged, hardened men from Afghanistan.” A Facebook user added, “Another wave’ of’refugees” is heading to Europe from Afghanistan. However, a reverse-image search revealed that the photo does not include recent evacuation efforts from Afghanistan. The photo showed some 324 Afghan refugees who had entered Turkish territory illegally and were detained and sent back to Afghanistan in April 2018, according to an article on the Spanish-language version of the Anadolu Agency’s website. Photos captured this week show that hundreds of Afghan men, women and children have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.
This report was contributed by Ali Swenson, an Associated Press journalist in New York.
