UAE: Public Prosecution Warns Against Blackmailing Online

If you think no one would even pose a question at you if you blackmail someone online, chances are you would be wrong if you do the same in the UAE. The Public Prosecution through a tweet published on its official social media account, has warned against serious consequences including not less than Dh250,000 and up to 2 years in jail for the offence of blackmailing online. According to Article 16 of the Federal Decree-Law No.5 of 2021, whoever blackmails or threatens another person to persuade him to perform or refrain from performing an act using the World Wide Web or other means of information technology shall be sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison and/or a monetary penalty of not more than ten thousand dollars. If the threat is to conduct the crime or to commit activities that are offensive to honour or status, the penalty is to be imprisoned for a period of not more than ten years, according to the authority.