Famous TikToker Om Fahad shot dead in Baghdad, Iraq

Prominent Iraqi TikToker Om Fahad was shot dead while driving on a street in Baghdad, Iraq, by a man on a motorcycle, according to two security officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

The young woman, followed by tens of thousands of internet users on Tik Tok and Instagram, was sentenced to prison last year for content deemed “obscene” on social media. She rose to fame in predominantly conservative and patriarchal Iraq for her videos, in which she often appears in skimpy outfits and dances to Iraqi music.

In February 2023, a criminal court sentenced Om Fahad at first instance to six months in prison for “publishing several videos containing indecent remarks and violating public decency and morality.” The verdict comes as authorities have just created a committee responsible for tracking down “decadent content” on social media that goes “against the morals and traditions” of Iraqi society.

To this end, a platform has been created to allow Internet users to report these publications. Since then, several social media stars have been jailed or forced to apologize for content posted online, sometimes simple humorous or satirical videos.

In 2018, influencer and model Tara Fares was shot and killed multiple times in Baghdad while she was in her white Porsche convertible with red seats.