Iraq: Calls to legislate a special law to deal with electronic blackmail crimes

POSTED ON[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]Iraq: Calls to legislate a special law to deal with electronic blackmail crimes[/size]

[size=45]The Iraqi Ministry of Interior acknowledged the escalation of cyber-extortion crimes in the country, while confirming the absence of a clear law to deal with these crimes, amid calls for tougher penalties to reduce these crimes that have seriously affected society.[/size]
[size=45]Remarkably, the phenomenon of electronic blackmail is widespread in Iraq, which is practiced by specialized gangs and individuals to achieve financial gains and other goals. While the security authorities are striving to limit and limit the phenomenon, the weakness of electronic technologies limits the possibility of controlling it.[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi National Security Service is carrying out a wide campaign throughout the governorates, aiming to overthrow the extortionists, based on the reports it receives from citizens.[/size]
[size=45]According to the Ministry’s spokesman, Major General Khaled Al-Muhanna, “Cybercrimes are generally on the rise worldwide and not in Iraq alone, as a result of the expanding use of smart devices and reliance on social media in many areas of life,” he stated in a statement to the official Iraqi News Agency (INA). Yesterday evening, Friday, he stated that “there is no explicit law that deals with electronic crimes, specifically electronic blackmail in Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that “the police agencies deal with the issue of extortion in accordance with the articles of the Iraqi Penal Code of 1969, and there are defendants who were convicted according to the articles of the threat and according to the seriousness of the act and the seriousness of the harm, and they were sentenced to prison terms ranging between 14 years and 7 years,” noting that “the police agencies It deals with the issue according to specialization.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that “electronic crimes are within the jurisdiction of the Federal Intelligence Agency, and the Anti-Crime Directorate - Baghdad and the Community Police are working on the electronic blackmail file. There is a hotline for reporting these crimes and they are dealt with very quickly.”[/size]
[size=45]Legal experts stress the importance of establishing special laws to deal with the crime of extortion, and a member of the Iraqi Bar Association, Bassem Jabr, told Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, “The lack of a special law for electronic crimes is very dangerous, as dealing with criminals according to the Penal Code opens the door to implementing legal provisions.” Different types may not be proportionate to the extent of the damage committed, which may sometimes reduce penalties for criminals.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed that “the current stage, which is witnessing an escalation in the commission of cybercrimes, requires a clear law and severe penalties that affect criminals and contribute to curbing the expansion of the crime.”[/size]
[size=45]Last week, the Iraqi governorates recorded about 9 extortion crimes in a number of the country's governorates, and security was able to thwart a number of them and arrest the perpetrators, based on reports received from the victims.[/size]
[size=45]In September last year, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior had previously announced a “major escalation” in cyber-extortion crimes, considering that they had now threatened the fabric of Iraqi society. The Ministry of Interior directed the Intelligence Agency, the Anti-Crime Directorate, and the Community Police to adopt this issue.[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi Ministry of Interior recently announced that the judiciary had issued deterrent penalties against those involved in electronic blackmail crimes, which caused dozens of suicides and divorces, stressing that it was working within special plans to reduce these crimes and oust their perpetrators.[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]