Iraq's Media Center warns of fabricated photos regarding Bara University Harassment Case

Shafaq News/ Iraq's Digital Media Center (DMC) warned on Friday of legal repercussions for publishing "fabricated" photos related to the case of harassment at the University of Basra.

Last week, Imad Al-Shawi, the dean of the College of Computer Science at the University of Basra, was arrested in connection with a scandal involving "inappropriate images" leaked from his office's surveillance cameras.

The University has launched a 30-day investigation into Dean Al-Shawi to verify the authenticity of the leaked images.

Hussein Al-Mulla, the DMC official spokesperson, explained that such actions damage the reputation of female students and are punishable under Iraqi law.

According to Al-Mulla, numerous photos and videos falsely attributed to the incident at the University of Basra are circulating on social media platforms daily. He condemned this "misuse of social media," warning the public that "such behavior carries penalties, including imprisonment, fines, or both, as per Iraqi penal law."

The DMC urged individuals affected by these actions to seek legal recourse by filing criminal lawsuits against those responsible for spreading fabricated content.

Al-Mulla also called on all social media users to refrain from exploiting platforms "at the expense of girls' reputations."

Following the incident, Minister of Higher Education Naim Al-Abboudi decided to remove the dean from his position due to the "indecent" nature of the images and reports of extortion and abuse of power.

The dean was later arrested based on Article 393 of the Iraqi penal code, which imposes penalties on individuals engaging in sexual intercourse with a female without her consent or committing buggery with any person without their permission, which is punishable by a maximum imprisonment term of 15 years.