Qatar- Taking photos of accident victims to be an offence

Date

9/17/2015 1:23:25 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)File picture

DOHA: Qatar will soon criminalise taking photographs of people killed or injured in accidents through any device and transmitting them without the consent of their representatives the Qatar News Agency (QNA) has reported.

The State Cabinet yesterday approved a draft law amending some provisions of Law Number 11 of 2004 which contains Qatar’s criminal or penal code.

QNA didn’t specify whether the law was about road accidents only or all kinds of accidents including house crashes.

The penal code needs to be amended to list new offences and specify punishments as it is made necessary by newer and emerging technologies.

A good example is how recently cybercrimes have been made a punishable offence. Taking photographs using mobile phone cameras was for instance not a practice in 2004 when the criminal code was issued so it being listed in the penal code as an offence now.

QNA said that the proposed amendments to the penal code aim to mainly punish anyone who captures or transmits pictures of the deceased or the injured in accidents without the consent of their representatives through devices of any kind. To recall people here were encouraged to click photographs of traffic violations and forward them to Metrash2. The practice was criticised by the people many of whom claimed that it could better be avoided as it caused misunderstandings and heartburn among people.

Some said it was breach of privacy of people and families and that such photographs could be manipulated through photoshop and misused. Metrash2 is the Interior Ministry’s smartphone application so smartphone users having this application could send photos of violations directly to the authorities.

In November last year psychologist Dr Moza Al Malki came out publicly against the practice. She said she was surprised how the authorities had permitted it since it amounted to spying. “It breaches people’s privacy. We already are a society wit enough problems” she was quoted as saying by local media at the time.

Another critic said the practice could lead to marital and family discords so it must be stopped. “Suppose I have told my wife I am going to a particular place but actually I am going somewhere else. My car meets with an accident and its photograph is posted on Metrash2 for everyone to else. What happens then” the critic wondered pleading that the practice must be stopped forthwith.

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