Up to six-month imprisonment or Dhs5,000 fine for insulting people in the UAE

The UAE Public Prosecution has recently clarified the penalties for crimes of libel or insult through the telephone under the UAE Federal Penal Code.

Via a video posted on its social media platforms it said that according to Article 374 of the Federal Penal Code, a person shall be subject to a jail sentence for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding Dhs5,000 in case the libel or insult takes place through the telephone or facing the victim in the presence of others.

The penalty shall be a fine not exceeding Dhs5,000 if the libel or insult takes place facing the victim without the presence of a third party or in a letter dispatched to him by any means.

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The Public Prosecution added that it shall be considered an aggravating circumstance if the libel or insult is addressed to a public servant or a person in charge of a public service, during or because of discharging his duties or performing his service, “or if affecting his honour or the reputation of the families, or if expected to reach an illicit objective.”

The department’s decision to clarify these laws was to raise their awareness among the community and to reduce violations resulting from ignorance of the laws, reported news agency WAM.