People who share degrading pictures of girls are not entitled to forgiveness: IHC

A man accused of posting sexually graphic images of a girl online filed a bail request, but the Islamabad High Court (IHC) denied it on Monday, ruling that the act was a terrible crime for which there should be no forgiveness.

Muhammad Haseeb, the petitioner, is charged with distasteful photo sharing of a female on Facebook and with her husband and father on WhatsApp.

The court said that these kinds of offenses have become quite frequent in society because, while in a relationship, ladies give boyfriends or friends “their objectionable pictures,” which, in the event of a breakup, are then published on social media.

“The accused committing such offenses are not entitled for any leniency, as these pictures become stigma throughout the lives of girls and in many cases their family life has destroyed; the girls have also committed suicide,” the court said in a written judgment.

Under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, a case was filed against Haseeb at the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime Reporting Center in Islamabad. The complaint claimed that the accused had “disgraced and destroyed the modesty” of the complainant by taking or recording her offensive photos without permission, projecting them in public, and sharing them with her family.

“The petitioner has committed a horrific crime by sharing the complainant’s sexually explicit photos on Facebook and mailing them to her friends, father, spouse, and other acquaintances. The FIA has gathered enough evidence to convict him. The ruling said, “A technical analysis expert report that is available on record demonstrates that the petitioner has committed the aforementioned crime.”

It went on to say that although the petitioner’s request for bail was denied, this was only a “tentative assessment” and would not impact the outcome of the case at trial.