Several social media accounts circulated a video showing a boy with special needs tied to a wall with a rope and subjected to severe torture by two individuals, claiming that the incident took place in Kirkuk.
One of the pages published the video and called on Kirkuk’s governor, Rebwar Taha, to intervene and rescue the family. The video received 31,000 views in less than 24 hours and was shared by 100 people.
Correction:
The spokesperson for Kirkuk Police, Lt. Col. Amer Shawani, told KirkukNow, “I watched the video. This incident certainly did not take place in Kirkuk, nor even in Iraq. It happened in an Arab country. If you listen carefully, you can tell they are speaking in the Egyptian dialect.”
The Iraqi Ministry of Interior also issued a clarification regarding the video, stating that the relevant authorities in the ministry “monitored several appeals regarding a video showing a boy with special needs being tortured and abused. Upon investigation, it was determined that this incident did not occur in Iraq but in another Arab country.”
KirkukNow is a key partner of the Masarouna project, for monitoring the implementation of the national strategy for family planning in Iraq, preparing genuine stories, and following up on reproductive rights and health services, infographics, informative videos, correcting misinformation, and addressing fake news.
KirkukNow Media Outlet is an Independent electronic news website publishes stories and events taking place within or relevant to Iraq’s disputed territories, as defined in the Iraqi constitution, with the aim of promoting coexistence in those areas and providing easy access to information.
In April 2011, www.kirkuknow.com was launched as an online news agency, the only independent media outlet that covers developments throughout the disputed territories in Arabic, Kurdish, Turkmen, as well as in English.
