Ayesha Mirza

Ayesha Mirza is a journalist and a fact-checker at Soch Fact Check. She has a BA in Politics and International Relations from Queen Mary, University of London. Her areas of interest include social justice, climate change, minority rights and gender issues.

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Claim: The UK government is preparing to deploy asylum seekers across the country, prioritising immigrants over Britons when it comes to finding housing. Fact: The UK government is not prioritising immigrants over Britons in social housing allocation.  X account @EuropeInvasionn shared a photo (archive) of the UK Prime Minister with the caption: “🚨BREAKING UK government […]

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Claim: The Pakistan Students Federation has demanded Imran Khan’s release by 30 August and warned of protests if their demand is not met. Fact: The Pakistan Students Federation does not exist. The warning actually came from the Insaf Students Federation. On 8 August, the Instagram account @theverified.pk posted a photo with the caption: “Pakistan Students […]

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Claim: Federal Urdu University awarded Arshad Nadeem with Rs2,000.  Fact: Foundation Public School awarded Arshad Nadeem with Rs2,000,000 in September 2023. On 15 August 2024, Soch Fact Check received a photograph via WhatsApp showing Arshad Nadeem receiving a cheque for Rs2,000 from Federal Urdu University. This claim appears to have originated from a photograph (archive) […]

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Claim: Arshad Nadeem hugged Maryam Nawaz when she visited the athlete’s residence to congratulate him on his victory in the 2024 Olympics. Fact: A video purportedly showing Nadeem hugging Maryam Nawaz is doctored. A video shared on Facebook shows Olympic javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem hugging PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz. The clip has since been shared across […]

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Claim: Anthony Ammirati, a French pole vaulter, lost out on an Olympic medal due to his groin area affecting his performance. Fact: Anthony Ammirati was knocked out of the Olympics because he failed to clear the necessary height.  On 3 August 2024, Anthony Ammirati attempted to qualify for the Paris Olympics final at Stade de […]

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Claim: Jibran Nasir, civil rights activist and lawyer was beaten and arrested recently by South police on the instructions of Justice Faisal Kamal of Sindh High Court.  Fact: On 2 July 2018, Jibran Nasir was temporarily detained following an incident in which he allegedly refused to give way to the convoy of Sindh High Court […]

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Claim: A viral photo shows protesters sleeping in the bed of Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. Fact: The viral photo shows Sri Lankan demonstrators sleeping on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s bed at the President’s house in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 10 July 2022. Following news of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, several photos from the […]

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Claim: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants beheaded a Shia citizen in Parachinar. Fact: The video of a man being beheaded appeared on X on 12 May 2024, with some claims suggesting that it originated from Afghanistan. It has been shared in different contexts since. On 29 July 2024, a user on X posted a video (archive) […]

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Claim: A video and photograph show Southport stabbing suspect.   Fact: The video and photo actually depict an attacker who knifed toddlers in the French mountain town of Annecy in June 2023.   Content Warning: Some posts linked in this article include graphic images of children which some readers may find distressing.   In the […]

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Claim: A 17-year-old asylum seeker who came to the UK by boat in 2023 was responsible for the mass stabbing that left 3 young girls dead in Southport. Fact: The prime suspect is not an asylum seeker and was born in Cardiff, Wales.  On 29 July 2024, social media was abuzz with widespread misinformation about […]

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Claim: Yemen dropped leaflets in Tel Aviv, asking citizens to evacuate before the drone strike on 19 July. Additionally, Yemen shared digital posters of the same, as a warning for the residents of Tel Aviv.  Fact: The leaflets, likely made by Palestinians, mock the ones dropped by Israeli forces in Gaza. The leaflets were not […]

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Claim: Muslims were responsible for riots in Harehills, Leeds. Additionally, Green Party Councilor Mothin Ali was also involved in escalating tensions during the incident. Fact: The riots in Harehills, Leeds were sparked by an incident where Children’s Social Care attempted to remove a child from the home of a Roma family, which led the police […]

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