Social media in Iraq has been buzzing with tweets from followers and activists calling for the arrest of a YouTuber from Basra named Muhammad Al-Essaoui, who killed his 14-year-old daughter. Two narratives surrounding the incident have been circulated by users, none of which have been confirmed by Iraqi authorities. The first is that the father shot the girl after seeing her at the door with a young man who had previously proposed to her, and the autopsy revealed that she was a virgin.
The second narrative comes from the victim's cousin, who confirmed that the girl's father became enraged after his daughter opened the door to a strange young man, suspecting a prior agreement between them. According to the cousin, the father did not allow anyone a chance to intervene, drew his weapon, and shot her three times, leaving her dead, and immediately fled the scene.
According to social media users from Basra, security forces are making every effort to locate the killer's hiding place. Activists launched the hashtag "The Right of Shahid Al-Essaoui," which topped the list of trending hashtags in Iraq, filled with hundreds of tweets demanding the arrest of the murderer and bringing him to justice.
However, users are concerned that this crime will be treated as a killing under the pretext of defending honor, as previous statements from the judge of the Mahmudiyah court complex, Khudair Salman, indicated that "Iraqi legislation has addressed honor-related murders, including betrayal, as a legal excuse to reduce punishment, as stated in Article 409 of the Iraqi Penal Code."
In earlier media statements, Iraqi social researcher Khaloud Al-Shammari noted that "Iraqi law, instead of being a protector of the victim and punishing the offender, often provides protection for the offender in such cases." She explained that "Article 409 of the Iraqi Penal Code punishes any person with three years of imprisonment, after which they can live their life normally."
