Amidst widespread student and public protests, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power and reportedly sought refuge in India on August 5th. A few days later, on August 8th, an interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus took charge. Recently, a news graphic bearing the name and logo of the American daily The Washington Post was widely circulated on social media platforms about the current situation in Bangladesh.
According to this alleged report, it was written by American journalist and political analyst Jacqueline Alemany. The report claims that the interim government has finalized a list to dismiss 67 senior army officers, including Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, and 3,872 military personnel.
According to the alleged report, due to the ongoing political crisis, Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country on August 5th, and on August 10th, Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan resigned. Following this, the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus began a major restructuring of the military. As part of this, a list was allegedly finalized to dismiss 67 senior army officers, including Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, and 3,872 military personnel. This action is viewed as a significant change within the military and a step towards establishing civilian control. Nevertheless, experts have warned that these reforms may result in discontent within the military and further exacerbate the political instability in the country.
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Fact-check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team revealed that the Washington Post did not publish report alleging the finalization of the dismissal of a list of 67 senior army officers, including General Waker, and 3,872 military personnel. The image circulating bearing the name and logo of the newspaper is completely fake.
A closer look at the circulating picture indicates that Jacqueline Alemany was claimed as the author, with a publishing date of October 21st. To verify this, Jacqueline Alemany’s X profile and author page on The Washington Post website were searched, but no such article was located.
Additionally, a check of The Washington Post’s official website and social media accounts (1, 2) found no evidence of such an article. Rumor Scanner also obtained the October 21st print edition of The Washington Post, but again, no such article existed.
Rumor Scanner contacted The Washington Post’s South Asia Bureau Chief, Gerry Shih, who stated, “It’s fake.” He also suggested contacting the newspaper’s spokesperson for further confirmation.
Following his advice, Rumor Scanner contacted a spokesperson from The Washington Post, who confirmed that the image circulating is indeed fake.
Moreover, The Washington Post’s official public relations account on X (formerly Twitter) posted a statement confirming that the image circulating is fake.
Therefore, the image of the report bearing The Washington Post’s name and logo, claiming that the interim government has finalized a list to dismiss 67 senior army officers, including Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, and 3,872 military personnel, is entirely false and fabricated.
Sources
- Rumor Scanner’s analysis.
- Jacqueline Alemany – X Account.
- The Washington Post – Jacqueline Alemany.
- The Washington Post’s website and social media accounts.
- Statement from Gerry Shih, South Asia Bureau Chief, The Washington Post.
- Washington Post PR – X Post
