Claim: Actor Johnny Depp participated in an Ashura ritual in Karbala, Iraq on 10 Muharram of Islamic calendar.
Fact: The man seen in the viral video is not Johnny Depp but, in fact, Iranian model Amin Sal’es.
On 8 August 2022, Twitter user @mizsworld shared the picture of a man with long hair and sunglasses holding sticks in each of his hands, accompanied by the caption, “WHAT IS JOHNNY DEPP DOING IN KARBALA.”
The man can be seen standing in a crowd, apparently at a ceremony, with the words, “السلام عليكم [Assalam o Alaikum],” and others wearing black in the background.
The tweet implies that American actor Johnny Depp participated in an Ashura mourning ceremony.
Ashura is commemorated annually on 10 Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar, in remembrance of the battle of Karbala in 680 AD. Karbala is a city in Iraq.
Multiple social media accounts posted similar images and captions, fuelling confusion over whether Depp actually attended the event or not.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check observed that the man in question does indeed resemble Johnny Depp, considering the style of his goatee, mid-length hair, black clothes, and glasses like those often used by the actor.
We used various tools to identify the man seen in the viral photo. Our search led us to this TikTok video by user @dev.charlie, archived here.
We also found numerous reports, including from Newsweek and New York Post, which identify the man as Iranian model Amin Sal’es.
Sal’es — who took part in the ceremony in Tabriz, Iran and not Karbala, Iraq — has an Instagram account ‘امین ثالث’ (@dr.aminsales) comprising over 25,000 followers and where he has posted various pictures of himself styled as Johnny Depp.
In addition to this, Teyit — a signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) — and verification initiative Malumatfurus have also debunked the claim.
Virality
Soch Fact Check found that the video was shared here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. On Twitter, it was posted here, here, and here.
It was also posted on TikTok by user @iraqibantz, archived here.
Conclusion: The man seen in the viral video at Karbala is not Johnny Depp but, in fact, Iranian model Amin Sal’es.