Criminal
A codified penal code retaining sharia offences for Muslims
The Penal Code of 2004 codifies most offences but preserves hudud and qisas penalties for Muslims in defined categories.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Criminal courts onshore. The QFC court has no criminal jurisdiction.
- Deadline — 48 hours for police to refer a detainee to the prosecution
- Deadline — 15 days to appeal a criminal judgment
Governing law
- Penal Code, Law 11 of 2004
- Criminal Procedure Law, Law 23 of 2004
- Law 14 of 2014 on Cybercrime
In practice
The Penal Code's dual structure means the applicable penalty for some offences depends on the religion of the accused, which is unusual among codified systems and material to any comparative analysis. The 2014 cybercrime law is broadly drafted, covering content that damages social values or insults the state, and is the provision most likely to catch foreign residents unawares. Alcohol is available under licence but public intoxication is an offence, and the practical enforcement picture around morality offences is more restrictive than the code alone suggests.