Fact Check: Iranian nomads called ‘illegal refugees’ from Myanmar in viral video
The video reportedly shows a nomadic family in Iran dangerously transversing through a mountain range in the country.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 14 Aug 2023 10:56 AM GMT
Screengrab of the Twitter post.
Hyderabad: A video showing people with children and luggage walking through a dangerous mountainous terrain is viral on social media. Users claim that the video shows people from Myanmar illegally entering India.
An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the video with the caption, “Route for thieves from Myanmar to Manipur. This is how these people come to India endangering their life. (Translated from Hindi)”
(Image Credit: X/@Sarvesh38453373)
The caption also mentioned the phrase, “Responsible for #ManipurViolence (Translated from Hindi)”, blaming the ongoing crisis between the Kuki-Meiti communities in Manipur on the ‘illegal immigration’ of Myanmarese to North Indian states.
Multiple social media users have shared the video claiming the same.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while addressing the Parliament, during the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the government, had also claimed that the conflict in neighbouring Myanmar led to many members of the Kuki community crossing over into India for their safety.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video reportedly shows a nomadic family in Iran dangerously transversing through a mountain range in the country.
On performing a reverse image search of the video’s keyframe, we found the extended version of the video posted on the Facebook page of an Iraqi TV channel called YARAN on April 1, 2013. From the English translation of the Kurdish caption, we could decipher that the video showed the struggle of a nomadic family.
Taking this as a cue, we ran a keyword search on YouTube and found a 42-minute-long video, with the same visuals as the viral video, published by a YouTube channel named DENA. The video was published on March 12, 2023, titled “Risk for life. Iranian nomadic family. (sic)”
According to the description of the video, “An Iranian nomadic family with three young children travels a difficult path to reach their destination.”
Here is the comparison of the visuals from the viral and YouTube videos.
The ‘About’ section of the DENA YouTube channel reads, “Welcome to Dana channel, Dana channel shows the life of Iranian nomads. (sic)”
We came across several videos on the channel, which showed visuals of nomadic people struggling through their life in the same mountainous region. Click here, here and here to watch the videos.
Hence, we conclude that the viral clip does not show Myanmarese illegally entering India. The claim is false.
