UAE law: Dh10,000 fine for insults, 'indecent acts' in public or social media

Dubai - If a man impersonates a woman to enter a place where only women are allowed, then it's considered an indecent act.

The Dubai Public Prosecution has stressed that speech or conduct which undermines public morals exposes residents to legal accountability.

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Lawyers have explained how indulging in indecent acts or insulting anyone in public or on social media in Dubai could land you in hot water.

Karim Hesham Teleb, a senior legal consultant, said committing indecent or insulting acts in public, either via hand gestures, or hurling abuses, or any other offensive or disturbing act, is punishable by a minimum of six months in prison. If the said act is against a woman or a boy aged 15 years or younger, the perpetrator can even face a year in jail and Dh10,000 fine.

Teleb said: “Article 358 of Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the UAE says: Shall be sentenced to detention for a minimum term or six months, whoever has flagrantly committed an indecent act. Shall be sentenced to detention for a minimum term of one year, whoever has perpetrated an indecent act with a girl or boy who did not complete fifteen years of age, even if [the act was] not committed openly.”