The Old Cairo District Prosecution ordered the release of a man accused of faking suicide on a bail of 10,000 EGP, along with four others with a bail of 1000 EGP for each. 

The man claimed that the video was a way to pressure his wife to step back from getting divorced and to enable him to see his children again. 

According to the investigations, the man made a deal with one of the accused to film him while he was saying his last words and then jumping from the top of the bridge. The other three convicted people waited for him with a boat at the bottom of the bridge to pull him out of the water, all in exchange for money. 

Not just that, but he also agreed with one of the accused and her mother to make a montage and post the video on social media as if it were some vlog to be published. The phone used for filming was seized while it was in her possession. 

If this case doesn’t sound awful enough, wait till you know that it happened one day after World Suicide Prevention Day. 

The real question is, how did social media take over our lives to the point of thinking it’s okay to fake suicide in a video and abuse the internet’s power in this way?

More importantly, how’s doing so going to solve this person’s problem now that his wife has found out about his lies? 

According to the National Alliance of Mental Health, death by suicide is the second leading cause of death of youth aged between 15-24. Suicide is a serious problem in our society that shouldn’t be made jokes or pranks about, and even worse, faking it to gain something in your favor. Additionally, posting such a video shamelessly for the public to see is triggering to those who suffer from suicidal tendencies and depression. 

Thus, it is important to take legal action against people who irresponsibly do such actions without thinking twice and report such content, so it gets removed.