# The UAE issues a new cybercrime decree expanding online speech offences

Date: 2021

## The fact

On 13 November 2021 the UAE issued Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on combating rumours and cybercrimes, expanding online speech and ‘rumour’ offences. [Mohamed bin Zayed](/people/mohamed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan) was already the security principal.

## Context

The Federal Supreme Council and presidential machinery issue decree-laws. Courts apply them. He owned the security state. He did not personally try every case. Mansoor 2018 is a neighbouring earlier sentence under prior law.

Mansoor 2018 is the earlier civic-speech file. Pegasus 2021 is surveillance capability.

The president of the United Arab Emirates is elected by the Federal Supreme Council of the seven emirates and is, in this case, also Ruler of Abu Dhabi and supreme commander of the armed forces. He does not write UNFCCC consensus texts by himself, IAEA operating licences, Israeli Knesset statutes, or UN panel reports.

## Evidence and sources

UAE Government carries the official instrument or communique. Reuters records the same dated act independently.

## Significance

## What is established and what is not

Established: a November 2021 UAE cybercrime decree-law, independently reported.

Not established: a unique later blogger-arrest coefficient from gazetting day.

What would change the picture: a contradictory original with a different date or name, a later repeal, a court that vacated the instrument, or a measured series that can be argued, with lag and alternatives, as a consequence of this instrument rather than of later institutions.

The date is the date of this instrument, not a licence to back-date every later harm or benefit.

The decree-law issued. Courts apply. He did not sit as the judge.. A later repeal, court stay, or successor order would be a different Fact with a different date. That pair identifies The UAE issues a new cybercrime decree expanding online speech offences, not a later speech about The UAE issues a new cybercrime decree expanding online speech offences.

Co-authors and later implementers named in Context remain on the file. The UAE issues a new cybercrime decree expanding online speech offences on 2021-11-13 is not a licence to treat every later UAE Government communique as this same act. If a later repeal, stay, or successor decree exists, it needs its own date and its own row. This dossier refuses to average The UAE issues a new cybercrime decree expanding online speech offences into a personality. The contribution described on this Person row is limited to He was union security principal. The decree-law issued. Courts apply. He did not sit as the judge. That limit is the alternative to treating office-holding as authorship of every later series.

## People

- Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan: https://factrail.ai/people/mohamed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan

## Drivers

- Democratic Resilience: https://factrail.ai/drivers/democratic-resilience
- Digital-Rights and Platform-Power Regulation: https://factrail.ai/drivers/tech-digital-rights-regulation

## Sources

- https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/uae-cybercrime-law-2021/
- https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/digital-uae/data/data-protection

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/ae-cybercrime-decree-2021