UAE amends Crimes and Penalties Law relating to suicide

The United Arab Emirates is set to decriminalise attempted suicide as part of amendments to its Crimes and Penalties Law. A 2020 amendment to the legislation already gave judges the option to offer mental health treatment as an alternative to prison for those who attempt suicide. Dr Hassan Elhais, a lawyer at Amal Al Rashedi Lawyers and Legal Consultants, explained that removing the criminal liability for attempted suicide recognises that someone experiencing a crisis needs care and support.

Encouraging people to seek help earlier and providing families with greater confidence to request urgent assistance would improve the chances of early intervention, state news agency Wam said. The new laws also outline penalties for those whose actions lead someone to attempt suicide. If convicted of causing someone to attempt suicide who then suffers serious injury or permanent disability, the sentence is three to five years in prison.

Convictions for causing another person to take their own life carry a sentence of up to seven years. If the crime involves someone under 18, the charge escalates to premeditated murder, with a minimum prison term of 15 to 20 years. Foreign citizens found guilty of these crimes face deportation. The amendments also require offenders to serve a minimum of 15 to 20 years in prison, even if the victim's family chooses to waive their right to qisas, the legal right to seek the maximum punishment.

Nikhat Sardar Khan, a Dubai-based lawyer, noted that the 2026 amendments make the law easier to apply in sensitive areas, preserving a 15 to 20-year prison sentence after a family waives qisas in intentional-killing cases and setting clearer, outcome-based penalties for those who encourage or assist another person's suicide.