Fact Check: Is Viral Image of Chained Prisoner Saydnaya Prison of Syria? Read the Reality Here

In Syria, a civil war erupted in 2011, initially sparked by pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring. The conflict escalated as opposition groups fought against Bashar al-Assad’s regime, leading to a complex war with international involvement. Recently, opposition forces overran Damascus, toppling Assad’s government abruptly.

Surrounding this, a disturbing image showing a person chained inside a prison cell has gone viral. Sharing the image users are claiming it of an inmate at infamous Saydnaya prison in Syria. Multiple users on Facebook, in their posts and groups, have shared the image and claimed,” At first glance, one would think this is a scene from a horror movie?!

But in fact, it is Sidnaya prison in Damascus ..

And what is hidden is greater!”

Following this, multiple users were found sharing the same image using homogeneous claims which can be viewed here, here, and here.

Fact Check

DFARC team investigated the viral image by using the reverse image technique on Google images. During the process, we found a report in the Spanish language dated 1 February 2020 featuring the same viral image. The headline when translated read,” Vietnam War Remnants Museum”. The article informs that the image is from the Museum of the Vestiges of War (the War Remnants Museum), Vietnam, which shows a recreation of the situation of prisoners during the Vietnam War inside the museum.

Furthermore, we found the image at Alamy with the caption “Prisoner at the War Debris Museum. In SAIGON, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.” The image contributor is James Talalay.

We also found the image shared by multiple bloggers like Nefer.live.journal and Hello Talalay blogspot describing the Vietnam Museum of War. Additionally, the image was shared by a YouTube blogger named
faheyjamestravel with the caption,” Exploring the TRAGIC War Remnants Museum | Ho Chi Minh City | Vietnam”

Conclusion

Thus, from the Fact Check it is clear that the viral image is from the the War Remnants Museum in Vietnam and not from Saydnaya Prison in Syria.

DFRAC Analysis: Misleading