Among them are TikTok celebrities.. The case of a minor rape gang is shaking Lebanon

by times news cr

2024-05-04 12:22:05

The case of the “child rape gang,” which the Lebanese security services announced the arrest of two days ago, sparked a massive social shock in its style, details, and what it revealed about the numbers of those involved in it and their identities, after it became clear that among them were famous personalities on social media sites, especially on the “Tik Tok” application. “.

Investigations into the crimes of this gang are being conducted in parallel with a campaign to pursue and search for those involved, which led to the arrest of a seventh person on Thursday, according to what local media reports confirmed, in addition to the six individuals whose arrest the Lebanese security forces had previously announced in a statement on May 1.

The Lebanese authorities are investigating suspicions that this gang, which includes about 30 participants, lured children and minors through social networking sites, offering them temptations with the aim of drugging and raping them, and then blackmailing them after photographing them.

The General Directorate of the Internal Security Forces in Lebanon announced that the arrest of the gang came after “a number of minors claimed” that they had been subjected to “sexual assaults and photography by members of an organized gang, in addition to being forced to take drugs in several hotels.”

The statement added that the authorities were able to arrest the gang members after “an information gathering process that lasted for approximately a month.”

The statement indicated the arrest of six people in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and the North, including those who are popular on the TikTok application, noting that the gang members hold Lebanese, Syrian, and Turkish nationalities, including three minors.

A judicial source revealed to Agence France-Presse that “at least 28 members of the multi-headed gang have been identified so far, which recruited professional teenagers from outside Lebanon to lure children via Tik Tok.”

He added that the victims “were raped after being drugged with substances placed in drinks provided to them, and were forced to take drugs and then promote them under the threat of blackmailing them with video clips.”

A security source accompanying the investigations told the agency that “six victims have given their testimonies so far and are no more than 16 years old.”

He pointed out that “they were lured in several ways, such as offering gifts from a clothing store and tricking them into filming advertisements or through a hairdressing salon or fake accounts on social media sites.”

According to the security source, after luring the children, those involved “raped them, filmed the rape, then made them watch the video clips, and blackmailed them by publishing them if they spoke about what they had been exposed to.”

The seriousness of the file, according to what the agency quoted the security source, lies in the fact that “incidents of rape and harassment affecting minors are not individual incidents, but rather an organized act within gang members who provide facilities to each other and exchange victims.”

The case continues to cause a great uproar on social networking sites in Lebanon, as the hashtags related to it top the most widely discussed topics in the country, and in the context of this, several different scenarios and accounts of the crimes attributed to the gang have spread, in addition to many names said to be involved in that gang, some of which have been proven to be true. Many of them were false, as adding names turned into settling personal scores between “celebrities” on social media sites.

In turn, the legal representative of one of the most prominent detainees in the case told a media outlet that the investigation is still confidential and all the current leaks about it are “inaccurate.”

The lawyer, who preferred not to reveal his name because he had not yet accessed his client’s file, added that no one can yet see the content of the investigations under the penalty of criminal prosecution due to the presence of a signal from the Public Prosecution preventing anyone from entering the file or knowing its details, including lawyers, and therefore The media outlets that circulated the stories certainly did not know the real details and data.

He pointed out that so far he has not attended the interrogation and investigation with his client, which requires the presence of a lawyer with him according to Article 47 of the Procedures, stressing that his client is still detained and not arrested, considering that all the people who defame and spread news and narratives “are not aware of anything.” .

The secrecy surrounding the investigations and the lack of a complete official account of the case sparked dissatisfaction among some Lebanese who expressed fears of political interference or favoritism in the case. They held this official ambiguity responsible for the spread of false narratives and the chaos of leaks and conflicting information, calling on the Lebanese authorities to adopt transparency in presenting the case.

On the other hand, others stressed the importance of confidentiality in the ongoing investigations to ensure that those involved with this gang do not escape, and to ensure the privacy of the victims and protect them from defamation, especially since they are children and teenagers.

In this context, the head of the Union for the Protection of Juveniles, Amira Sukkar, says that the most important thing that must be maintained is complete confidentiality in the details of the case, and not to divulge the names, ages, nationalities, or sect of any minor victim of this gang, as “a child is a child first and foremost,” and not to disclose the names, ages, nationalities, or sect of any minor victim of this gang. Publicizing the details of the file because of the impact it may have on the victims on the one hand, and on the other hand it may lead to caution and caution on the part of the perpetrators if they are a gang.

Sukkar emphasized that parents, at this stage and after this incident, should adopt preventive measures with their children, follow the principles of “positive parenting,” and monitor all of the child’s accounts on the Internet.

Sukkar stresses the need to sympathize with minors, if they are victims or even among the perpetrators, “since they have basically been lured and exploited to commit violations or participate in such acts that exploit other minors.”

For its part, the SMEX organization concerned with digital rights and safety published guidelines related to this type of issue that affects the safety of users, especially minors. Samar Halal, responsible for the digital safety platform at SMEX, pointed out that digital safety tips are important and necessary, “and the TikTok application has a number of features to enhance the safety of minor users, such as the privacy feature, family supervision, and others.” However, she confirms that “this “It is not enough to protect minors from this type of blackmail.”

The spread of the name of a TikTok celebrity as a member of the gang led to his account being suspended and blocked by the TikTok company after a wave of reports against him. However, according to “Smex”, security services and law enforcement agencies can still request access to the content of the blocked account and messages exchanged by the accused with others on the application, within a period of 90 days based on an official request, according to what the company says in its “TikTok Guidelines.” Regarding law enforcement.”

In addition to the responsibility placed on the perpetrators in the case, Halal adds, “Responsibility also falls on the state and its agencies, on the TikTok application, and also on the family.”

She continues: “Parents should be aware of what is happening with their children and provide a safe haven for the children so that they can talk to them about exposure to similar situations. As for the security services, they should enhance confidence among citizens, as they have a great responsibility and have the ability to arrest these people.”

As for the Tik Tok application, Halal believes that the responsibility on it is great, and she adds, “The company that owns the application must provide protection for minors, who constitute the majority of its application users.”

The organization stated that the “Tik Tok” application provides, in its “Parents’ Guide,” some steps that enable parents to monitor their children’s accounts, especially if they are under the age of 13, by linking family accounts to each other “to enable and use a variety of “Content, privacy and well-being settings” on children’s accounts.

Through this link, parents can add some protection features to their children’s accounts on the application, such as making the account private, limiting comments on video clips, viewing direct messages, searching, setting the daily usage period, and even restricting the account.

Last updated: May 3, 2024 – 19:34


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2024-05-04 12:22:05

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