It took less than 46 seconds for the helmeted killer to stop his motorcycle, walk to the driver’s side of the van, open the door and fire his gun four times, killing one of the most prominent TikTok personalities in Iraq, a man from 30 years. elderly woman whose social media name was Um Fahad.
Security camera footage of the murder outside a Baghdad home on Friday night is strikingly explicit, but sheds little light on the identity of the killer or the reason why Um Fahad was targeted. The Iraqi Interior Ministry, which released the video, said it had formed a committee to investigate his death.
The victim, whose real name was Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, had become popular on social media sites, especially TikTok and Instagram, where her videos showed her wearing tight or revealing clothing, or singing and hugging her young son. She gained him some 460,000 followers, but also drew the ire of conservatives in Iraqi society and the government.
At one point, officials ordered Ms. Sawadi jailed for 90 days, reprimanding her for a post that showed her dancing at her 6-year-old son’s birthday party.
At her sparsely attended funeral, her brother, Ameer Mehdi Sawadi, said he had little faith that her killer would be caught.
“I can name many innocent people who have been killed,” Sawadi said. “Have you heard anything about his case? Did they find the murderer? No.”
Given his sister’s prominence, the government might be expected to take action, but no officials have come to see him since her death, he said.
“No one sat down with me and questioned me,” Sawadi said. “I just told them she was my sister, gave my name to the authorities and that was it.”
Sawadi’s killing was the third in less than a year in Iraq of a young social media personality.
The killings appear to have been a consequence of Iraq’s crackdown on criticism of the government and the public display of behavior considered secular and Western, according to human rights groups.
The stricter regulations on social media came in the wake of youth uprisings that began in 2019 and challenged corruption in the Iraqi government and the influence of Iran. Today, the Iraqi government is dominated by parties with ties to Iran, and many of them have a strong religious orientation.
The most recent addition to the list of prohibited activities is contained in legislation passed by Parliament over the weekend. The country’s anti-prostitution law now targets gay, bisexual and transgender Iraqis, making it a crime to have homosexual relations, punishable by 10 to 15 years in prison. Assisting in gender transition treatment would also be a crime.
Acting Speaker of Parliament Mohsen al-Mandalawi described the law as “a necessary step to protect the value structure of society, and in the best interest of protecting our children from the calls for immorality and homosexuality that are now “They are invading the countries.”
The new law was heavily criticized by Foreign Secretary David Cameron of Britain and by a US State Department spokesman, Matthew Miller, who said that “limiting the rights of certain individuals in a society undermines the rights of everyone.”
Miller also said the newly amended law could be used “to hinder freedom of expression and inhibit NGO operations throughout Iraq.”
Ms. Sawadi was jailed after violating an expanded definition of laws in the Iraqi penal code aimed at expressions considered harmful to public order and morality.
In 2023, the Home Office issued new regulations restricting social media content deemed “indecent” or “immoral.” Ms Sawadi was one of a handful of social media influencers tried and sentenced for violating regulations. She then told the New York Times that she couldn’t understand why she was being punished.
“The judge asked me why I was dancing and showing part of my chest,” she said.
In September, in a murder that was also caught on surveillance camera, a killer using a silenced gun shot another TikTok personality, Noor Alsaffar, 23, a man who posted videos of himself wearing clothes and makeup of woman. The murderer has not been caught.
And about two months ago, a transgender social media personality known as Simsim was stabbed to death in Diwaniyah, a city in southern Iraq. A suspect has been arrested in that case and remains in custody.
Women’s rights activists and researchers say they are distressed by impunity and the apparent lack of interest by police and government leaders in women’s sense of security.
“The streets of Baghdad are full of surveillance cameras and it is not difficult to find criminals,” said Fatin al-Hilfi, a former member of Iraq’s Human Rights Commission. “In neighboring countries, police can find criminals within hours.”
Al-Hilfi said he was concerned that Sawadi’s critics were too willing to move on and reluctant to see the larger implications if his death is not resolved.
“How can it be so easy to commit an attack like this here?” she asked.
Falih Hassan and Jaafar Thamer contributed reporting.