Social media in Iraq erupted over the incident involving a young woman named Maryam, who had a caustic substance poured on her face by an unknown assailant, causing her severe disfigurement. There are widespread calls for the harshest penalties against the perpetrator.
In the painful details of the incident, a young man had proposed to Maryam, but she rejected him. He then visited her home in the Mansour area of western Baghdad, stealthily entered at night, and poured the caustic substance on her face while she was sleeping before fleeing quickly.
Maryam's father stated, "My wife and I were at work, and Maryam and her brother and his wife were at home when the criminal entered, stole her phone, and poured the caustic substance on her." He added, "Maryam is living a tragic life, and it has been seven months since the incident, yet she has not recovered from the disfigurements on her body."
The victim's father has appealed to the head of the judiciary, Faik Zidan, to "seriously consider the case." According to her mother, the assailant came at night, masked, despite passing by security checkpoints and pedestrians on the street leading to their home, yet no one apprehended him. She claimed that the judicial authorities have not cooperated with them and have sided with the perpetrator against the victim, according to her statement to an Iraqi television.
Maryam is a student at the College of Fine Arts and is nicknamed "the princess" at the university. Using the hashtag (#SavePrincessMaryam), Twitter users demanded accountability for the crime. Journalist Ali Khalidi tweeted, "Curse you, incomplete in jealousy and manhood. We demand the harshest penalties for this criminal and humanity's abductor."
Iraqi affairs researcher Ghanem Al-Abed remarked, "A young girl's life and dreams have been shattered because of someone with an 'animal instinct.'" Activist Mustafa Jaseb tweeted, "We are all responsible for restoring Maryam's beautiful face; together we can help restore her trust and bring her back to her future and life once again."
Journalist David Yasin stated that "what happened is a major crime, no less than the crimes of ISIS and militias. A young girl with a promising future had her face disfigured because she rejected him. Who accepts this? This criminal has killed humanity... If there's a man in the government, he should impose the harshest penalties and ensure the girl's treatment."
A knowledgeable source indicated that "the perpetrator is still at large, and security forces have not yet been able to apprehend him, while investigations continue involving some suspects under scrutiny." The source, wishing to remain anonymous for "Sky News Arabia," added that "the victim's family is facing difficulties in the investigation process due to significant interferences, as influential businessmen connected to the currently detained suspects are suspected of supporting the main accused."
The victim's family is relying on a fundraising campaign launched by journalist Rafeef Al-Hosseini to support young Maryam and facilitate her treatment abroad.
Human rights activist Wissam Al-Abdallah stated that "what happened to the young woman represents a dangerous shift in human behavior, where individuals resort to unimaginable practices, necessitating intervention from relevant authorities to apprehend those involved in this incident and bring them to justice." Al-Abdallah added in a statement to "Sky News Arabia" that "the delay in this case undermines the public interest and makes such events more likely to occur," emphasizing the need to hold accountable even the security forces responsible for protecting the area where the incident took place.
