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The UAE government announced amendments to the Crimes and Penalties Law through a Federal Decree that reorganises provisions on incitement or assistance to suicide alongside revisions to qisas rules in murder cases. Under the updated legislation, individuals who attempt suicide will no longer face criminal sanctions, a shift that state news agency WAM said aims to encourage those in psychological crisis to seek help without legal repercussions. The changes also strengthen protections for vulnerable groups while maintaining firm deterrence against those who encourage or facilitate such acts.
Graduated penalties now apply to anyone who incites or assists another person to attempt suicide, with the severity determined by the outcome, according to the decree law. If the attempt does not result in death, the offender faces detention and a fine or either penalty. Should the attempt lead to permanent disability, illness or an inability to perform personal tasks for more than 20 days, the punishment increases to temporary imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than five years plus a fine.
The most severe penalty under the new provisions applies when the incitement or assistance results in the victim’s death by suicide. In such cases the offender faces temporary imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than seven years, the decree law stipulates. Incitement or assistance becomes an aggravating factor if the victim is under 18 years of age according to the Gregorian calendar or lacks full will or perception. Offenders in those circumstances may face charges equivalent to intentional murder or attempted murder depending on the case.
Any foreign national convicted under these provisions faces deportation following completion of the sentence, the Federal Decree Law states. Courts may exempt an offender from punishment if that person voluntarily intervenes to prevent the suicide before it occurs and successfully averts the death, though this exemption does not apply if serious harm has already resulted. The amendments build on earlier provisions in Federal Law No 3 of 1987, which had set a maximum five-year detention for completed assisted suicide cases.
Separate revisions to qisas provisions raise the minimum prison term to 15 years and a maximum of 20 years when heirs of a murder victim waive their right to retribution at any stage, according to the decree. Previously the minimum had stood at seven years even after such a waiver. The National reported that these changes make the law clearer in sensitive areas involving both homicide sentencing and suicide-related offences.
Dubai-based lawyer Nikhat Sardar Khan told The National that the 2026 amendments preserve a substantial prison sentence after a family waives qisas in an intentional killing case while setting clearer outcome-based penalties for anyone who encourages or assists another person’s suicide. WAM noted that the overall reforms reinforce societal and state responsibility for prevention, early intervention and protection of the right to life. The decree law takes immediate effect across the federation following its issuance.
