New Delhi: An article published on the website AB-TC aka ‘City News’ has claimed that the Chinese government is seeking approval from the country’s Supreme People’s Court to kill 20,000 coronavirus patients in order to control the spread of the virus.
The report states that Chinese officials want to execute these patients in order to protect the health workers from the deadly disease.
The article that spells China as “Chhina” in the first sentence says: “The highest level of court in Chhina, Supreme People’s Court, is expected to give approval Friday for the mass killing of coronavirus patients in China as sure means of controlling the spread of the deadly virus.”
The report has since been shared widely on social media platforms. Many also took to Twitter to express concern and call upon human rights activists.
Human Rights ? Anyone…..https://t.co/PEAjgIJMLp
— Shweta Shalini (@shweta_shalini) February 6, 2020
Whaaat??https://t.co/6Xj2PCCGWC
— Rameshwari ?? (@RIyer15) February 6, 2020
Anyone with info on this news site & source, please? https://t.co/yoaJZqOhyW
— Christine Gramp (@Grampynotgrumpy) February 6, 2020
Some Twitter users have also hit out at China’s ruling Communist Party.
This can't b true,but expected from a communist regime.@gvnair91
@MbPradas @pradeep4twitt @Abhimannyu_007 @duryodan_ @ChottA_BheEem @vipinchithravee @sathyamaanu @srinivasan60006 @tsj_tw @Duranthan @Hari84167488 @narancm https://t.co/086akYSX9W— Sudhir Kumar P (@SudhirKumarP6) February 7, 2020
Some WhatsApp forwards on the article have also been circulating among users in India.
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Fact check
Claiming that the report isn’t “genuine“, US-based fact-checking website Snopes has raised concerns about the website’s legitimacy.
It is the only one to claim that China is planning on executing the coronavirus-hit patients. While the website does not carry any disclaimer labelling its content as fiction, there is also no contact or office address mentioned on the site.
The news report also has multiple spelling errors.
This, however, isn’t the first time that the website has been pulled-up for publishing fake news. In a July 2010 article, it had falsely claimed that New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur was dead.
On 30 January this year, the website published another news report claiming five Singaporeans had contracted coronavirus without going to China. The Singapore government had then released a statement refuting the claims.
The website has also published other hoax articles, such as one that accuses a Pittsburgh-based club of “cannibalism“.
It had earlier also claimed that the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, committed suicide.
Crackdown on fake news
As the world is making attempts to fight coronavirus that has claimed more than 400 lives in China alone, around 20 people across six countries have been arrested for spreading fake news about the disease.
Apart from the Chinese administration, governments in India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have joined hands to crack down on the spread of fake news, threatening those involved with penalties and jail terms.
India has so far arrested five people.
In collaboration with SM Hoaxslayer.
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