An image from a street play by Kurdish political activists in London in 2014 to raise awareness about atrocities against women by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has been revived claiming it shows the Taliban auctioning Afghan women.
The disturbing image shows at least two veiled women whose wrists are bound by chains and a man who is supposed to be their ISIS captor.
The photo has gone viral over the past few days as the world worries about the safety, future and the devastating loss of fundamental rights of Afghan women under the hardline Islamic regime.
BOOM found that the photo is from a mock "Islamic State sex slave market" in London in 2014 to raise awareness about the plight of women in regions occupied by the Islamic State. BOOM debunked a video of the same street play earlier. (see links below)
ALSO READ: Old Street Play Video Revived As Taliban Take Over Afghanistan
ALSO READ: Did Islamic State Auction Women On The Streets Of London?
The image was tweeted by Shefali Vaidya - a right wing columnist.
The photo has also been going viral on Facebook with different captions in Hindi.
FACT CHECK
The photo is from a street play in London by Kurdish activists to draw attention to plight of women captured by the terrorist outfit ISIS or Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Kurdistan in northern Iraq is a semi-autonomous region.
The controversial stunt was carried out in London in front of the Houses of Parliament, Leicester Square and Downing Street, according to Newsweek which covered the protest in October 2014.
BOOM has debunked videos from the street play earlier. (See links below)
ALSO READ: Old Street Play Video Revived As Taliban Take Over Afghanistan
ALSO READ: Did Islamic State Auction Women On The Streets Of London?
The BBC reported that the event was organised by Compassion 4 Kurdistan. The article quoted Ari Murad, who organised the protest.
BOOM tracked down Murad's facebook page and found a video of the same street play uploaded in March 2016. The caption, which mentions the cameraman and actors and opening credits in the video make it clear the visuals are not real. BOOM also reached out to Murad who confirmed the same.
"It was a protest to show the reality of ISIS kidnapping of Kurdish Yazidi women," Ari Murad, filmmaker told BOOM.
Murad also told BOOM that the image is from the protest that happened at Leicester Square in London.
The same actors can be seen in the first few seconds of the video.
BOOM has been debunking viral misinformation and disinformation since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. You can view our fact-check articles in the thread below.
Note: The story has been updated to include a quote from Ari Murad.
