Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Twitter account shared and then deleted false information this week about mass executions in Iran.
As first reported by CNN, the tweet on Monday referred to inaccurate reports — widely circulated by celebrities this week on social media — that the Iranian government had executed nearly 15,000 protesters.
Trudeau tweeted that Canada “condemns the Iranian regime’s barbaric decision.”
“These brave Iranians were fighting for their human rights – and we continue to stand united in their support and united against the regime’s heinous actions,” the tweet said.
Iranian women — and some men — have been protesting the government’s severe restrictions on their daily lives for months since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. .
So far, one protester has been sentenced to death for taking part in the protests, according to state media, while thousands remain in custody. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for all charges against the demonstrators to be dropped.
A majority of Iranian lawmakers asked the judiciary this month to “show no leniency” when punishing detained protesters, but no mass death sentences have been handed down.
Trudeau’s tweet “was informed by initial reporting that was incomplete and lacked necessary context,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “Because of that, it has since been deleted.
“It was based on reporting of serious concerns raised by international human rights lawyers, warning of possible future punishments, including the death penalty, imposed on thousands of Iranian protesters who have already been arrested by the regime.” , the statement continued.
“We should not forget the fact that one person has already been sentenced to death and that Iranian parliamentarians should not demand that any death sentence be imposed. Already, dozens of protesters have been killed by the regime’s security forces.”
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