A false claim that Iran is planning to execute thousands of people has gone viral in the wake of the first death sentence for a protester tied to the ongoing demonstrations against the country’s clerical rulers over women’s rights. An image that has circulated widely on social media falsely states that 15,000 protesters have been sentenced to death. Like much viral misinformation online, the claim about the 15,000 death sentences appears to have started with a kernel of truth. Independent reporting is suppressed in Iran and it is not possible for NBC News to confirm these numbers. “The rumors of a new round of mass executions is likely fueled by memories of what happened in 1988.”

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