Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
First photo of Syria’s ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his wife in Moscow, Russia, after fleeing the country.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Syrian Rebels Topple Assad
Syrian rebels seized control of the capital Damascus unopposed on Sunday as 59-year-old President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia’s Moscow, where he was given asylum, following the toppling of his 24-year-old regime by opposition forces in a lightning advance.
Fact Check
Newschecker noticed several users stating that the viral photo is old and not following Sunday’s ouster. One of the users shared a February 11, 2023 X post, by news outlet Voice of America, on Assad’s first public appearance in the earthquake-devastated area of Aleppo, where he visited wounded patients at a local hospital.
We can clearly see that the viral photos are actually screengrabs from the video of Assad’s visit to Aleppo in February 2023, his first public appearance in the earthquake-hit area, which was among the most devastated cities by the February 6 earthquake that killed thousands across Turkey and Syria. A similar report by media platform Syria Stream, uploaded to Youtube on February 10, 2023 can be seen here, confirming that the viral images are from February 2023 and not December 2024, when Assad fled Syria.
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Result: False
Source
X post, Voice of America, February 11, 2023
Youtube video, Syria Stream, February 10, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
