Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Claim
Dire state of an inmate at infamous Saydnaya prison in Syria.
Fact
Visual shows an exhibit from the War Remnants Museum in Vietnam.
The Syrian rebels took control of Damascus on Sunday forcing dictator Bashar al-Assad to flee the country. They also liberated thousands of people who were imprisoned in the Saydnaya prison, a notorious torture complex of the Syrian government which is locally known as the “human slaughterhouse.”
In this backdrop, a photograph allegedly showing an inmate locked up inside a cell in the infamous Saydnaya prison in Syria has gone viral on social media platforms with users comparing the visual to a “scene from a horror movie.” Newschecker, however, found the claim to be untrue.
The photo is being widely shared online with users claiming, “At first glance one would think this is a scene from a horror movie?! But in fact it is #Sidnaya (Saydnaya) prison in Damascus…” A few others also shared a video clip featuring an alleged prison cell along with the viral photograph.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
Fact Check/Verification
A Google lens search on the viral image led us to an article on website ‘dzen.ru’ listing popular museums in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City. It featured the viral photograph purportedly showing an inmate in Syria’s Saydnaya prison. We also found a similar photograph uploaded on website ‘Flickr’ with the caption, “Vietnam War Remnants Museum Replica Prison Cell. Prison cell example at Vietnam War Remnants Museum, Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City is a popular tourist attraction.”
We also spotted the same image in a YouTube video by @faheyjamestravel, dated December 8, 2023, titled ‘Exploring the TRAGIC War Remnants Museum | Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam.’
Stock photograph website Alamy also features multiple similar images showing “Prisoner exhibit” at the War Remnants museum in Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Such images can be seen here, here and here.
Also Read: Assad Flees Syria – Does This Video Show Syrian Dictator’s Plane On Fire?
The alleged prison cell seen at the beginning of the video featuring the viral image was also listed on Alamy as “Re-creation of cell for war prisoners” at War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. It was also featured in an article on the museum on website ‘travel-tour-guide.com.’
The War Remnants Museum was established in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City in 1975, and “specializes in researching, collecting, preserving and displaying evidence of crimes and consequences of wars of aggression against Vietnam,” stated its website. A YouTube video by the museum also features a similar visual of prison inmates in shackles inside their cells.
Also Read: Video Of Clashes Between College Students In Dhaka Goes Viral With False Communal Spin
Conclusion
Hence, visuals of an exhibit at the War Remnants Museum in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City have been falsely shared to show the appalling condition of an inmate at Saydnaya Prison in Syria.
Result: False
Sources
Flickr Website
YouTube Video By @faheyjamestravel, Dated December 8, 2023
Alamy Website
War Remnants Museum Website
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
