As part of a campaign to stop people from posting “bad and obscene” stuff on social media, authorities in Iraq have detained a model.
Asal Hussam was apprehended by security officers in the Iraqi capital on February 3, according to local media in Baghdad.
She is alleged to have posted videos on social media that are “bad and indecent content” and “against public morals.”
Her arrest comes as officials in the Muslim-majority republic allegedly hit back at what they view as “negative” content online.
The Ministry of Interior has reportedly launched a platform called ‘Report’, where citizens can report “content that offends modesty and destabilises society”.
The online platform is said to have divided opinion in the Middle Eastern country, with some – especially parents – coming out in favour of it.
However, detractors claim it infringes both public and private freedoms.
It’s unclear if Asal’s detention is directly related to the video in which she can be seen posing in a military uniform.
The same goes for if she is being kept in detention.
As at the time of writing, her social media accounts looked to have been deleted.
The Iraqi government has been accused of being cosy with the government in neighbouring Iran, where women are regularly seized for ‘”immodesty”
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was taken off the street by Iran’s morality police and beaten into a coma before being declared brain dead, is the subject of ongoing demonstrations in Iran.
She had been detained in Tehran for failing to wear a headscarf in accordance with the nation’s stringent regulations on this matter.
Masha’s passing sparked protracted demonstrations in her native Iran, and politicians and celebrities from all around the world were outraged by the tragedy.
For participating in a street protest, a student who was on trial in another Iranian court received a nine-month prison term and 60 lashes.
Aida Portaki, age 21, was found guilty of “disturbing public peace and order by attending an illegal gathering” by the Revolutionary Court of Zahedan.
According to reports, Aida, a University of Sistan and Baluchestan student studying engineering mathematics, went to an anti-regime protest on November 15 in Zahedan.
