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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Crime & justice fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about crime & justice. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

6,854 published reviews in this topic

NewtralCrime & justice

Fotos de un policía arrestando a una señora de 80 años durante el estado de alarma

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim said that photos of a police officer arresting an 80-year-old woman showed a current incident during Spain’s state of alarm. Newtral reports that the images were circulating on Facebook in that context, accompanied by a post describing the scene as an abuse of authority against an 80-year-old woman. Its investigation concluded that the images were old and unrelated to the pandemic restrictions: they showed an anti-eviction protest in Madrid, not an event from the preceding weeks. Newtral traced the images’ online appearances to 7 February 2013. Posts on different platforms linked them to a protest against Bankia held that day. The review also describes a video uploaded to YouTube the following day by Radio ISM Murcia, in which the woman shown in the images recounted what happened during the demonstration. According to the review’s account of her testimony, after she crossed a perimeter fence, several riot police arrived and one officer knocked her down, causing her to fall. She said that when she raised the broom she was carrying, she “seemed” to have struck the officer. The officer initially asked for her identity document but ultimately said she would not be detained and offered to call an ambulance. This account supplies the earlier event and context omitted from the circulating post; it does not support presenting the photos as a new arrest during the state of alarm.

Deutsche Presse-AgenturCrime & justice

Die in Deutschland ansässige amerikanische Militärpolizei stehe angeblich über der deutschen Polizei - und deshalb könne man bei ihr gewalttätige Polizisten anzeigen, so die Behauptung in einem Post bei Facebook. "Solltet Ihr unberechtigt Stress mit unserer Polizei bekommen, wählt sofort die Nummern, der Militär-Polizei!!!!!"

Publisher’s rating: Die genannte amerikanische Polizeieinheit untersteht der Militärstrafverfolgungsbehörde der amerikanischen Armee. Diese ist für Ermittlungen bei Straftaten zuständig, an welchen Mitglieder der US-Armee beteiligt sind oder sein könnten. Sie hat keinerlei Kompetenz innerhalb der deutschen Strafverfolgung.

The Facebook post invited people who had “unberechtigt Stress” with German police to call the U.S. Military Police. The DPA review identifies the unit whose contact details the post circulated as the U.S. Army’s 5th Military Police Battalion (CID), rather than an authority overseeing German police. It reports that the unit’s headquarters are in Kaiserslautern and that it also has locations in Stuttgart and Wiesbaden. The review says the battalion supports investigations concerning U.S. Army matters and provides protective services to particularly endangered people in Europe and Africa. (S1: “Das amerikanische 5. Militärpolizei-Bataillon (\"5th Military Police Battalion (CID)\"), auf dessen Kontaktdaten der Post hinweist, hat sein Hauptquartier in Kaiserslautern”; “Weitere Standorte sind in Deutschland etwa in Stuttgart und Wiesbaden angesiedelt.”; “Laut eigenen Angaben unterstützt das Bataillon Ermittlungen in US-Armee-Angelegenheiten und leistet Personenschutz für besonders gefährdete Personen in Europa und Afrika”) The distinction is the scope of the unit’s work: the review reports that a battalion spokesperson told DPA, “Wir ermitteln nur in Angelegenheiten, die amerikanische Soldaten betreffen,” and added that it had nothing to do with German police. Thus, the post’s suggestion that the unit could serve as a route for reporting German police conduct is not supported by the described remit. The source does not report that the battalion supervises German police or handles complaints about them. (S1: “Ein Sprecher des Bataillons sagte der Deutschen Presse-Agentur: \"Wir ermitteln nur in Angelegenheiten, die amerikanische Soldaten betreffen.\" Mit der deutschen Polizei hätten sie nichts zu tun.”) The review lists the Facebook post and links to the battalion’s information and location materials, including archived versions. It does not describe an independent test of the phone numbers or a review of a particular complaint; its account instead identifies the unit from the post’s contact details and reports its stated functions and a spokesperson’s explanation. (S1: “Beitrag: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2257606174532981/permalink/2289801487980116/”; “Standorte des 5. Militärpolizei-Bataillons (in Englisch)”; “Allgemeine Informationen zum 5. Militärpolizei-Bataillon (auf Englisch)” )

FACTLYCrime & justice

Image of a minor girl kidnapped and gang-raped by four Muslims in Tonk (Rajasthan)

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The post paired an image with a claim about a 16-year-old girl who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by four youths in Tonk, Rajasthan. FACTLY’s review distinguishes the reported assault from the image: it says the assault did occur, but the image did not depict that victim or incident. It reports that the girl was taken to an isolated place and sexually assaulted, and that Tonk Police arrested three named accused while the fourth was a minor. The review also reproduces a Tonk Police post announcing the arrests.

NewtralCrime & justice

El despacho de abogados de Cuatrecasas está preparando una demanda contra Pablo Iglesias, Salvador Illa y Fernando Simón por homicidio

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerned a purported complaint against Pablo Iglesias, Salvador Illa and Fernando Simón. The material circulating on Twitter said Cuatrecasas was preparing it; the alleged filing was described as an action for homicide over conduct that could constitute negligent homicide. Newtral reports that the story spread through websites that later removed their pages, and that the posts attributed the proposed action to the Círculo Empresarial de Atención a las Personas (CEAPs), allegedly after it hired Cuatrecasas. The posts also included an image presented as a copy of the filing. (S1: “Circula en Twitter el enlace a una información (ya borrada) que asegura que el despacho de abogados Cuatrecasas prepara una demanda contra Pablo Iglesias, Salvador Illa y Fernando Simón por homicidio.”; “En estos contenidos se aseguraba que el Círculo Empresarial de Atención a las Personas (CEAPs) preparaba la mencionada demanda, tras contratar al bufete Cuatrecasas, e incluían una captura del escrito a presentar.”) Newtral says it contacted CEAPs, which denied preparing any complaint and said the use of its president Cinta Pascual’s details would be reported. Cuatrecasas also rejected the circulating information in a response to senator Cristina Ayala, who had shared the link: the firm said the information was false and noted that the original outlet had removed its content. These direct denials address both the supposed organization behind the action and the law firm said to be preparing it. (S1: “Contactados por Newtral.es, desde CEAPs niegan que hayan preparado una demanda y aseguran que la utilización de datos de Cinta Pascual, presidenta de la organización, ‘será denunciado’.”; “el bufete de abogados Cuatrecasa, en una respuesta a la senadora Cristina Ayala, que difundió el enlace a esta información en un tuit -ya borrado también-, aseguró que era falso: Estimada senadora, lamentamos comunicarle que la información que está difundiendo es falsa. El propio medio de comunicación ha eliminado su contenido.”)