Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deleted a tweet containing false information on mass death sentences in Iran, after a viral campaign on social media circulated the fake news. Celebrities and users shared a picture on Instagram showing a woman holding an Iranian flag with the caption “Iran sentences 15,000 protesters to death — as a ‘hard lesson’ for all rebels.”
Instagram has since tagged the post as “False Information” and said “Independent fact-checkers say this information has no basis in fact.” The post, which has since been taken down, was shared by celebrities including actresses Sophie Turner and Viola Davis. Trudeau tweeted late Monday that Canada denounces the “Iranian regime’s barbaric decision to impose the death penalty on nearly 15,000 protestors.” The tweet was up for 12 hours before being taken down. “The post was informed by initial reporting that was incomplete and lacked necessary context. Because of that, it has since been deleted,” a Canadian government spokesperson told CNN.
“It was based on reporting of serious concerns raised by international human rights advocates warning of possible future sentences, including the death penalty, imposed on thousands of Iranian protesters who have already been detained by the regime,” the spokesperson added.
CNN has reached out to the Iranian Foreign Ministry for comment.
Iranian lawmakers are demanding that the country’s judiciary “show no leniency” to protesters, but so far one person has officially been sentenced to death by the judiciary this week. However, the UN warned last week that others are at risk of receiving a similar sentence…
Source: ctvnews.ca
Monday, April 20, 2026
