On September 23, the Facebook page of the news agency Marshalpress published a photo allegedly showing Tbilisi mayoral candidate Irakli Kupradze meeting with the public, accompanied by the following caption, “Irakli Kupradze met with an ATM.” In the image, only Irakli Kupradze is visible, holding his party’s campaign brochures. Marshalpress also shared the photo in a news group.
The photo of Irakli Kupradze disseminated by Marshalpress is edited; in the original photo, other people are standing next to him. Kupradze himself had shared the real photo from the meeting on his Facebook page.
On September 21, Irakli Kupradze, together with other members of the coalition Strong Georgia, met with residents of Mukhiani. The photo circulating on social media depicts frames from this meeting. According to information released by the party, the main priorities in Mukhiani are improving transport policy, solving the problem of stray animals, and creating new economic opportunities.
Kupradze also posted information and photos from the meeting on his Facebook page. It was precisely one of these photos that Marshalpress used for editing. In the original photo, along with the mayoral candidate, two women can be seen holding Strong Georgia campaign brochures. Presumably, Kupradze is greeting them. Another photo from a different angle, showing Kupradze meeting with residents, was also released by Strong Georgia.
 | |
| Source: Irakli Kupradze / Facebook | Source: Strong Georgia / Facebook |
Closer examination of the photo circulated by Marshalpress reveals traces of editing. For example, near the ATM, part of the image has been erased, and the corner of the ATM looks unnatural and incomplete.
On August 18, the coalition Strong Georgia and the party For Georgia nominated Irakli Kupradze as their candidate for Tbilisi mayor. Some opposition parties are not participating in the local elections. The Georgian Dream candidate for mayor is Kakha Kaladze.
Recently, several pieces of false information about mayoral candidates have been circulated, some of which have been verified by Myth Detector:
- AI-Generated News Broadcast Video about Kakha Kaladze Circulating
- A Misleadingly Cropped Video Is Being Circulated In Which Kaladze Appears To Be Speaking About Apologizing To The Occupiers
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
