Qatar’s General Directorate of Traffic has reiterated that taking pictures of road accidents by unauthorised persons or the public is illegal, and such people will face legal consequences.

General Traffic Department’s Traffic Investigation Officer Captain Khalid Abdullah Al Kuwari, speaking to Qatar TV, said people caught illegally taking pictures would be subject to imprisonment and a fine.

Article 333 of the Qatari Penal Code stipulates that a person who illegally intrudes into another person’s private life without their consent shall be punished by imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years in prison and/or a fine not exceeding QAR10,000.

“The law only allows people who cause a traffic accident to photograph and upload it on Metrash 2 to prove and record the accident,” he said.

Captain Al Kuwari said filming an accident with good intentions — to raise awareness — may expose people to legal accountability as there may be harm to the victims due to injuries or deaths.

“There’re organisations specialised in awareness, such as the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Interior and the Traffic Awareness and Safety Department of the General Directorate of Traffic,” he said.

Captain Al Kuwari said there was no need to photograph people even when reporting a traffic violation via Metrash.

“It’s enough to photograph the license plate, and the damage to the car, and then the traffic investigation investigators will communicate with the reporting persons to find out the causes of the accident,” he said.

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