A video featuring former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan speaking with a damaged eye is being shared on social media claiming that he was physically tortured in jail. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals show former Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan being physically tortured in jail.
Fact: The video was originally filmed during Imran Khan’s interview with a news channel preceding his arrest on 05 August 2023. The viral video is edited wherein his eyes are shown closed as a sign of physical torture. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Relevant keyword searches led us to related posts on Twitter (here and here). The viral video featured a URL of a Pakistan-based media channel named “We News.” Further keyword searches on their YouTube channel led us to the original video where Imran Khan was interviewed about the elections and the government.
The viral video is cropped by different timestamps from the original longer version and altered. Moreover, the original video of Khan talking about the government was published on 01 August 2023. Various news reports (here and here) show that Khan was convicted by the court on charges of corruption linked to the state gift repository and was arrested on 05 August 2023.
It is also clear from the original video that Khan’s eyes were not closed and that the viral video was altered with his eyes closed. A comparison of the original and edited version of the footage can be seen below.
To sum up, Imran Khan’s interview video preceding his arrest is edited and shared as Imran Khan was tortured in jail.
