Two teenagers were detained on Thursday for allegedly blackmailing a schoolgirl by posting digitally altered images of her on the internet.
The case of internet shaming and the loss of a young life has sparked outrage in Egypt on social media, with strong demands that those involved be held accountable.
In north Egypt, a 17-year-old girl Basant Khaled who lived with her family died on December 23. She ingested poison as she was suffering from blackmailing on the internet. Prosecutor general office said that she was blackmailed by the teenagers after refusing to have a relationship.
According to the source and Basant’s sister, her parents and classmates saw the images that were extensively shared on social media.
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Their father, Khaled Chalabi, informed local media that their daughter’s face had been connected to the body of someone else. “She’s my daughter, and I know her well enough to know that she isn’t like that.”
Her mother shared a suicide note with Egyptian media, “Mum, you must believe me, I am not that girl, the photographs are phoney, and I do not deserve what is happening to me,” the adolescent wrote.
Prosecutor’s office said that the two teenagers are being held for four days for “extortion and the use of social media in a way that causes harm to others and that resulted in the death of a juvenile.” A teacher has also been arrested for upsetting the girl in front of her class.
