Current Version
| Region | United Arab Emirates |
| Issue | Homosexual activity |
| Status | Illegal (imprisonment as punishment) |
| Start Date | 2021 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | The 2020 amendment to the federal penal code removed stoning and flogging as legally prescribed punishments. The subsequent Federal Crimes and Penalties Law (2021) does not prescribe the death penalty for consensual same-sex conduct. The death penalty for sexual offences under current UAE law applies exclusively to non-consensual acts, such as rape of a minor or rape resulting in death. All documented stoning sentences in UAE history involved heterosexual adultery and were either commuted or overturned. There has never been a documented case of the death penalty being applied for homosexual activity in the UAE. Under Article 409 of the Federal Crimes and Penalties Law (2021), consensual same-sex sexual conduct and extra-marital heterosexual intercourse are criminalised with a minimum sentence of six months' imprisonment. Prosecution can only be initiated upon a complaint filed by a spouse or guardian; without such a complaint, no criminal action may proceed. |
| Sources | https://web.archive.org/web/20260601235852/https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1529 |
Revision History (1)
| Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Illegal (imprisonment as punishment) |
| Start Date | 2021 |
| End Date | (none) |
| Description | The 2020 amendment to the federal penal code removed stoning and flogging as legally prescribed punishments. The subsequent Federal Crimes and Penalties Law (2021) does not prescribe the death penalty for consensual same-sex conduct. The death penalty for sexual offences under current UAE law applies exclusively to non-consensual acts, such as rape of a minor or rape resulting in death. All documented stoning sentences in UAE history involved heterosexual adultery and were either commuted or overturned. There has never been a documented case of the death penalty being applied for homosexual activity in the UAE. Under Article 409 of the Federal Crimes and Penalties Law (2021), consensual same-sex sexual conduct and extra-marital heterosexual intercourse are criminalised with a minimum sentence of six months' imprisonment. Prosecution can only be initiated upon a complaint filed by a spouse or guardian; without such a complaint, no criminal action may proceed. |
| Sources | https://web.archive.org/web/20260601235852/https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1529 |