17 held in Iraq over harassment video

BAGHDAD:

Authorities in Iraq have arrested 17 people after a video of men pushing a screaming woman into a car during New Year's Eve celebrations sparked widespread condemnation in the conservative country.

Violence against women, including through so-called "honour killings", has long plagued Iraq's deeply patriarchal society, though there are no official statistics available.

The New Year's Eve video, which has gone viral on social media, shows dozens of men jostling a screaming woman before lifting her up as people gathered outside.

Authorities said the footage was shot in the southern city of Basra.

Separate footage from another angle shows some of the men trying to force the woman into the vehicle by pressing their hands on her head.

Basra governor Asaad al-Eidani said Friday that "17 people were arrested in connection with the harassment incident that took place in Basra during New Year's Eve celebrations".

"The local government will not tolerate any behaviour that violates public decency or disrupts community security," he added.

The Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), which provides protection to women victims of violence, condemned the incident.