UAE laws change: lift ban on unmarried couples, ease ban on alcohol, crack down on premeditated homicide
The UAE has recently amended several laws to relax some restrictions on social life and strengthen the protection of women’s rights.
According to reports from the Emirates News Agency and Al Jazeera on November 7th, President Khalifa of the UAE has approved several civil and criminal laws. This legal amendment lifts the ban on cohabitation of unmarried men and women, relaxes the prohibition on alcohol, and abolishes the reduction of the penalty for “honorary murder”. Terms.
Al Jazeera reported that unmarried cohabitation was a crime in the UAE. Although in Dubai and other places, relevant agencies have adopted different treatment methods for foreigners, there is still a risk of punishment for unmarried cohabitation.
In addition, after this legal amendment, individuals aged 21 and above will not be penalized for consumption, sale and possession of alcohol. Prior to this, individuals must have a permit to purchase, transport and store alcohol at home.
The Emirates News Agency specifically mentioned that this is based on the UAE’s commitment to protecting women’s rights when reporting the relevant provisions for penalizing “honour crimes”.
The so-called “honour crimes” and “honour murders” refer to incidents in which some women were subjected to violence and even murder by family members because they were deemed to have violated religious or cultural norms (such as elopement) and caused “shame” to the family. In addition, the UAE National Daily reported that men’s harassment of women, such as harassment and stalking in the street, will also be punished with more severe penalties.
The Emirates News Agency stated that this legal amendment is intended to further improve the UAE’s legislative environment, firmly establish the status of the principle of tolerance in society, and strengthen the UAE as a “hub for attracting foreigners to live and work.”
Al Jazeera commented that this law expands individual rights, which reflects the changing image of the UAE, that is, the legal system is still based on traditional religious interpretation, but at the same time the UAE hopes to attract more foreign tourists and businessmen; at the same time, these changes also It reflects the efforts of UAE leaders to keep up with the rapid changes in domestic society.
According to the report, the ratio of foreigners to domestic residents in the UAE is 9 to 1. This legal amendment will allow foreigners to be exempt from religious courts in matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance.
