DMC: The accused in Iraq are being tried socially because of the misuse of their confessions

Baghdad - INA

The Digital Media Center warned, today, Thursday, against publishing the confessions of the accused in Iraq on communication sites and television screens before rulings are issued against them, noting that the accused are now being tried socially for the failure of the misuse of those confessions to search for interaction and spread.

The center said in a statement received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that it "follows up with regret the growing phenomenon of publishing the confessions of accused persons in various cases on social media sites or television programs that are filmed during the evidence detection operations conducted by some competent government agencies."

The center added, "Many pages on the communication sites are deducting parts of these confessions for the purpose of obtaining more interaction and views, and composing stories about the accused to invest in increasing their followers."

The center stressed "the need to stop publishing the confessions of defendants who have not been sentenced, especially cases of rape, extortion and harassment, which include news "values" that bring a great deal of interaction."

The Center considered that "many of the confessions are marketed in provocative methods on social media platforms, prompting followers to comment on them, and re-publish them in a negative way that causes the accused to be convicted and socially tried on social media platforms, which causes harm to them and defamation continues to pursue them even if they are later acquitted.".