Federal Law by Decree No. (34) of 2023 Concerning Combating Discrimination, Hatred and Extremism

Purpose and legislative background

The law protects social peace, religious respect and equality by defining criminal boundaries around specified discriminatory, hateful and extremist conduct and by creating special preventive/jurisdictional mechanisms.

The 2023 decree-law repealed Federal Decree-Law No. (2) of 2015 on combating discrimination and hatred. Related legislation includes criminal, cybercrime, counter-terrorism and extremism-list instruments.

Scope and who it applies to

• Natural and legal persons whose conduct falls within the UAE's criminal jurisdiction and the decree-law's provisions.
• Publishers, media/digital users and persons producing/distributing material within the offences defined by the law.
• Organisations and persons implicated in prohibited discrimination, hate-speech or extremism conduct.
• Public prosecutors and courts exercising jurisdiction under the decree-law.

Key definitions

• Discrimination: statutory distinction/restriction/exclusion/preference on protected grounds as defined by Article 1.
• Hate Speech: a statement/action that may incite discord, strife or discrimination between individuals/groups.
• Extremism: conduct driven by ideas/ideologies/values/principles that meets the statutory definition and threatens public order or involves defined prohibited content.
• Means and Methods of Expression are broadly defined and can include digital/communications channels and expressive media.

Main rights and obligations

• Persons must refrain from conduct constituting the offences defined by the decree-law.
• Publishers/distributors and digital users must consider the offences concerning prohibited materials and dissemination.
• Authorities must apply the criminal-procedure and jurisdiction rules stated by the law.
• Lawful statutory protections/advantages for specified groups remain valid under Article 24.

Procedures and compliance

1. For any suspected offence, identify the exact article and each required element, including intent/result where specified.
2. Identify the competent prosecution/court under Article 23 and general criminal procedure.
3. Preserve digital/publication evidence according to evidence and cybercrime procedures.
4. For extremism-related preventive measures, use the specialised statutory route rather than ordinary assumptions.

Deadlines and time limits

• Issued date: 28 September 2023.
• Article 26: effective one month after Official Gazette publication; exact date left blank pending sufficiently verified Gazette publication metadata.
• Criminal-procedure deadlines arise under the Criminal Procedure Law and the specific case, not a single general period in this decree-law.

Enforcement, violations and penalties

Section Two provides substantial imprisonment and fine penalties for specified offences, with special aggravating and preventive provisions. Because consequences are offence-specific and high-stakes, the exact official article should always be checked before stating the applicable punishment.

Legislation / implementation / commentary distinction: The principal decree-law or federal law creates the statutory rule. Executive regulations, Cabinet resolutions, ministry/regulator decisions and court rules may supply operational detail. The examples and checklists in this explanation are practical commentary and do not create additional legal duties.

Practical scenarios

1. A social-media post must be assessed against the exact statutory offence elements; an offensive or controversial statement is not automatically the same as every offence defined by the law.
2. A publisher considering material that targets a protected group should review the dissemination/material offences before publication.
3. An employer's lawful statutory benefit for a protected category may fall within Article 24 and should not be labelled unlawful discrimination solely on differential treatment.
4. An extremism-related case may trigger special federal jurisdiction under Article 23.

Amendments and related legislation

The 2023 decree-law repealed Federal Decree-Law No. (2) of 2015 on combating discrimination and hatred. Related legislation includes criminal, cybercrime, counter-terrorism and extremism-list instruments.

What businesses and individuals should check

• This is criminal legislation: exact offence elements, intent requirements and penalty provisions must be read from the official Arabic text and current law.
• Do not equate any controversial opinion with a statutory offence without analysing the specific act and offence elements.
• Article 24 expressly preserves lawful positive protections/benefits for specified groups.
• Online conduct can also engage the Cybercrime Law and other criminal legislation.
• Extremism-related measures and jurisdiction involve specialised procedures and should not be generalised from ordinary criminal cases.
• Confirm the current version/status of the principal legislation on the date relevant to the issue.
• Check all implementing instruments listed in the manifest and any later official updates.
• Preserve the official source citation used for a compliance, transaction or litigation decision.
• Do not rely on the cover artwork as proof of government endorsement or official publication.

When legal advice may be useful

Professional interpretation may be useful where the applicable law changed between the underlying event and the current date, a transitional rule is important, jurisdiction or regulatory perimeter is disputed, an enforcement or penalty provision may apply, or the matter involves significant rights, assets or procedural deadlines.

Information status

Research checked on 2026-08-31. This explanation is general legal information and should be re-verified against the official UAE source before use in a specific transaction, proceeding or compliance decision.