Guide · updated 02.09.2026 · 13 min read · Lucent Legal team

Insulted Someone in a Private Message in the UAE: Penalties and What to Do If They Threaten a Police Report

Insulted Someone in a Private Message in the UAE

Key points

  • Insults sent by messenger or DM fall under Article 43 of Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021. The penalty is imprisonment and/or a fine of AED 250,000 to 500,000.
  • The Dubai Court of Cassation held in Criminal Cassation Case No. 2024/1222, judgment dated 23 April 2025, that publicity is not a required element. A private chat counts as an "information technology means" under Article 1 of the same law.
  • An attack on a nation or ethnic group moves the case into a different statute — Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2023. Articles 6 and 7 carry imprisonment plus a fine of AED 500,000 to 1,000,000.
  • "Record a video apology and I'll withdraw it" is a separate offence. Article 42 of the cybercrime law: up to 2 years and AED 250,000–500,000, rising to up to 10 years where the threat involves damaging someone's honour.
  • Foreigners face removal on top of the sentence. Article 21 of Law 34/2023 requires the court to deport a convicted foreigner after the sentence is served.

The script repeats almost word for word. You sent someone a sharp message in an Instagram or Threads DM, and they replied with a screenshot and a promise to take it to Dubai Police. Here is the answer to the main fear: in the UAE a private message is treated like a public post, and cases do get opened on them.

A private message is judged like a public post

"It was a DM, nobody else saw it" is not a defence in the UAE. Article 43 of Law 34/2021 punishes insulting a person, and attributing to them something that exposes them to punishment or public contempt. The only condition is that it was said through a network or an information technology means. Instagram DMs, Threads and WhatsApp sit alongside an open post.

The Dubai Court of Cassation settled the argument. In Criminal Cassation Case No. 2024/1222, judgment dated 23 April 2025, the court held that publicity is not a crucial requirement for criminal liability. Messengers fall squarely within the definition of "information technology means" in Article 1.

Article 43 carries imprisonment and/or a fine of AED 250,000 to 500,000. Where the line runs between harsh criticism and a criminal insult, plus actual sentences handed down, is covered in our guide to defamation and insult in the UAE.

Insulting a nation: the heavier track

A line about someone's nationality or people moves the case out of the cybercrime law and into the anti-discrimination one. Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2023 on Combating Discrimination, Hatred and Extremism took effect on 29 October 2023. It repealed the earlier Law No. 2 of 2015.

  • Article 1 lists the protected grounds: religion, creed, sect, race, colour, ethnic origin, gender or sex.
  • Article 6 — discrimination. Imprisonment of not less than one year plus a fine of AED 500,000–1,000,000.
  • Article 7 — incitement to hate speech by any means of expression, including digital platforms. Same range: from one year, AED 500,000–1,000,000.
  • Article 21 requires the court to deport a convicted foreigner once the sentence is served.

Two honest caveats. "Nationality" is not named in the list of grounds — the closest one is ethnic origin. And sources describe the term differently: Gulf News reports Article 7 as "up to one year", while summaries of the statutory text say "not less than one year". A lawyer confirms the current wording for your case.

"Record a video and I'll delete it" is extortion

A demand backed by the threat of a police report is a separate crime, not a negotiation. Article 42 of Law 34/2021 punishes blackmail and threats made to force someone to do something or refrain from it. The penalty is up to 2 years' detention and/or a fine of AED 250,000–500,000. Where the threat is to commit a crime or to damage honour, and comes with a demand attached, it rises to up to 10 years.

Threats made off the network sit in the Penal Code — Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021. Under Article 402, threatening a felony against someone's life, property or reputation together with a demand to act carries up to 7 years' imprisonment.

The practical conclusion: keep the message containing the demand in full, with a screenshot of the profile and the timestamp. It works against the person who wrote it.

He published your video apology — what that gives you

Publishing your video without consent is a privacy offence in its own right. Article 44 of the same Law 34/2021 punishes publishing and circulating material about a person without permission, including through electronic means. The penalty starts at 6 months' detention plus a fine of AED 150,000–500,000.

What it gives you: grounds for a counter-complaint, and leverage in settlement talks. It does not close the case against you by itself. How publication, content removal and platform complaints work is covered in our guide to social media fines in the UAE.

What happens after a complaint to Dubai Police

The path is predictable, and worth knowing before the summons rather than after.

  1. Filing. Cyber offences go through the Dubai Police eCrime portal and app. Acknowledgement usually arrives within 3–7 working days. Channels by emirate and the evidence list are in our guide on where to report cybercrime.
  2. Summons for questioning. Ignoring it is not an option: non-attendance is treated as aggravating behaviour.
  3. Device seizure. Law 34/2021 gives police and courts the power to seize phones and storage media used in committing the offence.
  4. Travel ban. The Public Prosecution can impose a travel ban as a precautionary measure during the investigation, before any formal charge and without a court hearing, under Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2022 on Criminal Procedure.
  5. Prosecution and court. Where an offence is made out, the file usually reaches the prosecutor within 48 hours. The general mechanics are in our guide on filing a police report in Dubai.

What it looks like in a judgment: Case No. 23499/2024, Dubai. A man sent insulting messages over WhatsApp in October 2023. The judgment of 24 April 2025 imposed a Dh5,000 fine, confiscated his phone, banned him from information networks and digital platforms for one month, and ordered the messages deleted from all devices. A travel ban ran throughout the proceedings. His argument that he was replying to earlier accusations was rejected.

How the ban itself is imposed and lifted is covered in our UAE travel ban guide.

What to do right now

  1. Do not delete the chat or the account. Deleting does not close the case, and destroying evidence is a separate charge.
  2. Do not pay and do not record new videos on demand. The first concession usually produces a second.
  3. Preserve the threats. Screenshots of the demand, the profile, the date and time, the link to the published video — ideally on a separate device.
  4. Do not answer in public. A public defence easily becomes the basis for a fresh complaint against you.
  5. See a lawyer before your first statement to police. Statements given alone damage a position more often than they save it.
  6. Apologise in writing and through a lawyer. The wording has to avoid reading as an admission.
  7. Prepare a counter-complaint under Articles 42 and 44, if the demand and the published video are documented.

Settlement: how these cases are closed

Article 43 cases can be closed by settlement between the parties. The victim's waiver — tanazul — is filed with the police, the prosecution or the court, depending on where the case sits. Legal commentaries say reconciliation under Article 43 is available before the prosecution or the court at any stage, until the judgment becomes final.

A paper signed between the two of you means nothing to the system. Termination is formalised by the competent authority. Even a filed waiver is no guarantee: in Criminal Cassation Cases Nos. 2024/1001 and 2024/1003 the parties argued that the court had disregarded the reconciliation submitted. The step-by-step procedure is in our guide on closing a criminal case in the UAE.

Counting on settlement is harder on the discrimination track under Law 34/2023. Public interest is engaged there, and forgiveness by the victim does not stop proceedings in that category. Which category your charge falls into is a question for a lawyer, not an analogy with someone else's case.

When you need a lawyer

You can check case status and file an initial complaint yourself. A lawyer is needed in five situations: you have been summoned or charged; the chat contains a line about nationality or religion; the other side is demanding money or more videos; you want to formalise a settlement and lift a travel ban; you have already left the UAE and do not know what you left behind.

We do not promise an outcome or a specific fine. The result turns on wording, evidence and the practice of the particular court. Deportation for a foreigner is a separate measure with its own rules, covered in our guide to deportation from the UAE.

FAQ

Can I be stopped at the airport when leaving the UAE?

Yes, if a travel ban has been imposed. The Public Prosecution can order one as a precautionary measure during the investigation, without a court hearing, and the restriction shows up at passport control. Lawyers advise obtaining written confirmation of its removal from the prosecution and ICP rather than testing it at the gate.

What if I have already left the UAE?

Leaving does not make the case disappear. An arrest warrant can be issued in the accused's absence, and a court can try the case and convict in absentia without hearing a defence. The risk materialises on return, and legal sources also point to international alerts through Interpol. Check case status before buying a return ticket.

Is an insult in a private message a crime if nobody else saw it?

Yes. Article 43 of Law 34/2021 covers insults sent through any information technology means, private chats included. The Dubai Court of Cassation held in Case No. 2024/1222, judgment of 23 April 2025, that publicity is not required for liability.

Can I be deported over a single message?

For a foreigner, deportation is a real additional risk on conviction, alongside the fine and imprisonment. Under Law 34/2023 on discrimination and hatred, the court must deport a convicted foreigner after the sentence is served (Article 21). Under the cybercrime articles, removal is a separate measure rather than an automatic consequence of any fine.

What do I do if they demand a video apology and promise to withdraw the report?

Do not comply, and preserve the text of the demand. Blackmail and threats that coerce action over a network are punishable under Article 42 of Law 34/2021: up to 2 years and AED 250,000–500,000, rising to 10 years where honour is threatened. An apology should be drafted in writing through a lawyer, together with a settlement agreement.

No complaint has been filed yet — what happens if the police accept one?

It gets registered, you are summoned for questioning, your phone may be seized, and the prosecution may impose a travel ban. Where an offence is made out, the file usually reaches the prosecutor within 48 hours, and they then close it, order further investigation, or send it to court. The time before the summons is better spent on a lawyer and on preserving the threats than on negotiating with the other side.

Sources

Topic: What's Legal in the UAE 2026

This material is for information only and is not legal advice. UAE law changes — a lawyer will assess how it applies to your situation.