Fake Picture Tweeted by Colombian Attorney General
The Claim
The picture below, tweeted by the office of Francisco Barbosa, depicts the apprehension of Óscar Leonardo Montes Delgado by CTI agents.
News posted on
Emerging story
On May 8, 2021, the Twitter account belonging to the office of Francisco Barbosa, “Fiscalía General,” showed the apprehension of one Óscar Leonardo Montes Delgado by CTI agents. Delgado was arrested because of allegedly having thrown a chemical agent at a young woman. There was only one problem: the suspect appeared to be floating above the floor, casting no shadow. Twitter users quickly pointed out the absurdity of the picture and made fun of Barbosa for allowing such a poor photoshop job to be publicized.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar's investigation found that after being called out for being duplicitous, “Fiscalía General” deleted the thread and posted new pictures of Delgado in custody. These new pictures appear to be legitimate.
Although some users found this situation to be comical, others were not as amused by what they saw as the incompetence of the Colombian Attorney General. The fake picture did nothing to build trust in the office of Barbosa. Furthermore, this is apparently not the first time Delgado has been paraded before the public as an example of the effectiveness of Colombian law enforcement.
What many saw as a breach of trust has come at a particularly unfortunate time. For almost two weeks (at the time of writing), Colombia has been embroiled in a series of protests and riots, many of which have resulted in injuries and deaths. These episodes of civil unrest have exploded due to multiple alleged issues: governmental incompetence, a planned tax hike for the middle class, and corruption, amongst others.
