Defamation in UAE Law: Penalties, Fines and What to Do

The Crimes and Penalties Law, which most people still call the Penal Code, draws its main line between two acts. Article 425 punishes anyone who, through any means of publicity, attributes to another person an incident that would make them subject to punishment or expose them to public hatred or contempt. Article 426 punishes anyone who, through any means of publicity, insults another in a way that violates their honour or dignity without attributing a particular incident. Article 427 deals with insults made by telephone, face to face or by letter.

"Means of publicity" is defined widely in Article 10. It includes public speech, acts in a public place, and writings, drawings, pictures, symbols, and audio, visual or reading materials distributed or circulated without discrimination by any means. A public post, a video, a printed leaflet and a speech at a gathering can all fall within it.

Online conduct has its own offence. Article 43 of the Cybercrime Decree-Law punishes whoever uses an information network, IT equipment or an information system and "insults another or attributes a quality to him that would make that person subject to punishment or contempt by third parties". Social media, messaging apps, review sites, email and websites all run on an information network.

Defamation is also a civil wrong. Under the new Civil Transactions Law, every act causing harm to another obliges its perpetrator to compensate (Article 246), and an infringement on another's reputation is moral harm (Article 254(1)). The criminal and civil routes are separate, and each has its own time limit.

In everyday English, libel is defamation in writing and slander is defamation in speech. The official English translation of the UAE Penal Code uses the two words for a different distinction, taken from the Arabic. "Libel" in Article 425 translates qadhf: attributing a particular incident to someone, such as a claim that they forged a document or cheated a customer. "Slander" in Article 426 translates sabb: an insult that attacks honour or dignity without attributing any incident, such as abuse or name-calling.

Whether the words were written or spoken does not decide which article applies. Both articles operate "through any means of publicity", which includes public speech as well as writing. A spoken accusation of a specific act at a public gathering is "libel" in the translation, and an insult written in a public post is "slander", which online can also fall under Article 43. Read every English-language source on UAE defamation with this in mind, including the translated statute, because the Arabic text prevails.

People who search for "slander in UAE law" usually mean spoken defamation. Spoken words are reached in three ways: Articles 425 and 426 where they are spoken in public, Article 427 where they are said by telephone or directly to the person, and Article 43 of the Cybercrime Decree-Law where they are recorded and shared through an information network, for example in a video or a voice note.

Article 43 is headed "Defamation and Slander". It reaches the forms online defamation usually takes: a post, a comment, a story, a review, a video, a group message or an email that insults someone or attributes to them a quality that would expose them to punishment or contempt. The fine alone starts at AED 250,000, many times the maximum fine of AED 20,000 for the basic offences in Articles 425 and 426 of the Penal Code.

Two aggravations matter. Under the second paragraph of Article 43, an offence committed against a public official or a person entrusted with a public service, during or because of the performance of their work, is deemed an aggravating circumstance. Under Article 60, committing any offence under the Decree-Law during or due to the performance of one's job is also aggravating, as is acting for a foreign country or a hostile or terrorist group.

The Decree-Law reaches beyond the UAE's borders. Article 69 applies it to offences committed outside the UAE where, among other cases, the crime harms any of its nationals or residents, or the offender is later found in the UAE and has not been extradited. A post about a UAE resident is not outside the Decree-Law simply because it was typed abroad.

On conviction, Article 59 lets the court order electronic monitoring, deprivation of the use of the network, or the closing or blocking of the violating site, completely or partially.

The table gives each penalty in the words of the official English translation. The Penal Code says "incarceration" and the Cybercrime Decree-Law says "imprisonment"; "and/or" means either or both may be imposed. Where an article sets only a ceiling or only a floor, the table says so.

Which article is charged is a matter for the prosecution and the court, and one post can engage more than one provision. The Cybercrime Decree-Law does not displace a heavier penalty elsewhere: under Article 72, its penalties "shall not prejudice any more severe penalty stipulated in the Penal Code or any other law".

Older guides often quote penalties from Decree-Law No. 5 of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes. That law was repealed by Article 73 of Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021, so its figures no longer apply. This guide gives the penalties in the laws in force and nothing else.

Article 427 is the provision most people do not expect. An insult by telephone, or made directly to the person in the presence of others, carries incarceration not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding AED 5,000. An insult made with no one else present, or "in a letter sent thereto by any means whatsoever", carries a fine not exceeding AED 5,000. A private conversation is not a safe place for an insult, and nor is a private letter.

A private message sent through an information network, such as a direct message or a messaging-app chat, can also engage Article 43 of the Cybercrime Decree-Law, which is framed around the use of an information network, IT equipment or an information system. Which provision is charged is for the prosecution and the court. The safe course is to treat any written insult, public or private, as a possible offence.

Words spoken in proceedings are treated differently. Article 429 says there is no crime in libel or slander included in the oral or written defence of litigants, within the limits of the right of defence, before courts or investigating authorities.

Article 428 says there is no crime if the person who made the attribution proves the incident, but only where the attribution is against a public servant or a person entrusted with a public service and the incident is connected with the job or service. Proof is not allowed if more than five years have passed since the incident, or if the crime has lapsed or the judgment has been forfeited. Statements about private persons and companies are outside the exception.

Privacy is protected separately, and truth is expressly no answer. Article 431 of the Penal Code punishes publishing, by any means of publicity, news, photos or comments related to the private or family life secrets of individuals, "even if they are true". Article 44 of the Cybercrime Decree-Law punishes, among other acts, publishing news, electronic photos, images, scenes, comments, data or information "even if it is true and genuine", with intention of harming the person, as part of an invasion of private or family life without consent. The guide to why truth is not a defence in the UAE works through the conditions and the examples.

If someone is threatening to publish material about you unless you pay or do something, go to the police before any payment or reply. Anything involving a person under 18 goes to the police: 999 in an emergency, the Dubai Police e-crime service, Abu Dhabi Police Aman or the Ministry of Interior eCrimes platform. The guide to online blackmail in the UAE sets out the steps.

The related offences are these:

Each defence has limits, and a UAE lawyer should test your facts against them before you rely on one.

The examples below illustrate how the wording of each article reads. They are not predictions of what a prosecutor or court would decide on particular facts. The same words can engage more than one provision, and intention matters where an article names it, as Article 44 does.

The rule is in Article 11 of the Criminal Procedures Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022. It lists "insult and slander of people" among the offences that may only be prosecuted on the victim's complaint, and says the complaint "shall not be admitted after [3] three months following the date on which the victim becomes aware of the crime and its perpetrator, unless the law stipulates otherwise". Article 12 says the complaint is filed with the Public Prosecution or with a judicial police officer.

Take advice within three months of learning of the post and who made it. The period runs from knowledge of both the crime and the perpetrator, so an anonymous account raises its own questions for your lawyer. Article 11 refers to "insult and slander of people" without naming a statute, and we have not found a primary text settling whether the limit also governs the online offence in Article 43 of the Cybercrime Decree-Law. Treat three months as the working deadline in every case.

If the victim dies before filing, the right to file lapses; a complaint already filed continues (Article 16). For the filing itself, see how to file a defamation case in Dubai. For the reporting channels in each emirate, see how to report cyber crime in the UAE.

Under Article 17 of the Criminal Procedures Law, the complainant may waive the complaint at any time before a final judgment, and the waiver terminates the action. If the waiver comes after a final judgment, the Public Prosecution orders a stay of execution of the penalty and releases the convict.

Under Article 68 of the Cybercrime Decree-Law, for offences including those in Articles 11(1), 42(1), 43, 44 and 45, the accused may invoke an amicable settlement with the victim or their representative, before the Public Prosecution or the court, before the judgment becomes final.

A settlement is the natural point to agree that the content comes down and that a correction or apology goes up. Neither article requires either, so agree the terms in writing with your UAE lawyer, including which URLs are covered and by when.

Article 246 obliges the perpetrator of every act causing harm to another to compensate for the damage. Article 254(1) says liability includes moral harm, and an infringement on another's freedom, honour, reputation, social standing or financial status is moral harm. Under Article 245(2), civil liability does not prejudice criminal liability, and a criminal penalty has no effect on the scope of civil liability or the amount of compensation.

A claim is inadmissible after three years from when the injured party learned of the damage and the person responsible, with an absolute cap of fifteen years from the harmful act. Where the claim arises from a crime that is still prosecutable, time runs from the end of the criminal action (Article 258). For a post made before 1 June 2026, ask your lawyer which civil law governs it: we have not confirmed the new law's transitional rule.

In four civil awards for online defamation reported by Gulf News and Gulf Today, courts awarded between AED 20,000 and AED 100,000, each below the amount claimed and each after a criminal conviction. The guide to defamation compensation in the UAE sets out the reports and the articles.

Under the Cybercrime Decree-Law, writs of correction and removal, and disable orders, come from the "competent authorities", defined in Article 1 as the federal or local authorities concerned with electronic and cyber security, and must be obeyed within the period stated in them. Article 66(2) lets the Attorney General order blocking. A private person cannot issue any of these orders. Someone who uses a website or account to store or publish illegal content and fails to remove it within the period specified in an order issued to them faces a fine of AED 300,000 to AED 1,000,000 (Article 53).

An access blocking order directs the UAE service provider to disable users' access in the UAE to the website or account. The content stays online elsewhere. Removal at the source, by the platform or the publisher, is a different step, and it is where platform reports and Google's own legal-removal process come in. Removing a result from Google Search does not remove the page from the internet; the site owner has to take it down.

A civil court can go beyond money. Under Article 256(2) of the Civil Transactions Law, it may, at the injured party's request, order the restoration of the status quo ante or the performance of a specific matter related to the harmful act. As reported by Gulf News, the Al Ain Court for Civil, Commercial and Administrative Claims once ordered "an apology and a clear denial of the allegations via the same Snapchat account".

Under Article 6(2) of Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2022 Regulating the Legal Profession and Legal Consultation Profession, the courts, the Public Prosecution and government entities admit a lawyer's representation only if the lawyer's name is recorded in the Roll of Practicing Lawyers kept with the Ministry. Being a national citizen is the first condition for entry on the Roll (Article 13(1)). A non-national may be licensed only in limited cases, before designated specialised circuits, "excluding the criminal proceedings" (Article 10), subject to case-by-case temporary permission for lawyers of other states (Article 80(1)(d)).

You can also lodge a criminal complaint yourself, with the police or the Public Prosecution. The onshore courts use Arabic as their official language and hear non-Arabic speakers through a sworn interpreter (Article 5(1) of the Civil Procedure Code, Federal Decree-Law No. 42 of 2022). The DIFC Courts hear civil and commercial matters only, in English, and refer criminal matters to external authorities.

RepuLex is an online reputation management agency, not a law firm, and holds no UAE licence. It does not file complaints, sue or appear in the UAE. Every UAE legal step is yours or your UAE lawyer's.

Work through these steps in order. The first five protect your evidence and your own position; the last two start the legal and removal routes.

The work is the part of the list above that does not need a UAE court: the dated, hashed evidence record; the removal audit, which sorts which links are removable, by which route, and which are not; platform complaints and policy reports to Google, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), X, YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, Reddit and review sites; Google's own legal-removal and personal-information routes; and monitoring for reposts. The legal steps stay with you and your UAE counsel, and the two run in parallel.

RepuLex works on published fixed fees per URL, paid in advance and refunded in full for any URL not removed within its agreed timeline, provided you supply the documents and authority requested for that URL. See online reputation management in the UAE for how the work is organised, or reputation work for clients in Dubai, where the Dubai Courts, the DIFC Courts and the Dubai Police e-crime service are covered.

Do not contact the complainant with threats or new allegations, and do not repost the material. Your lawyer can advise whether a settlement under Article 68 of the Cybercrime Decree-Law or a waiver under Article 17 of the Criminal Procedures Law is realistic, and whether one of the defences in Articles 428 to 430 of the Penal Code fits your facts. If the post was a review, the guide to negative Google reviews and UAE law covers the position of the reviewer as well as the business.