United Arab Emirates
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 3
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · Capital crimes are: murder, rape, treason, aggravated...
- News items in the archive
- 417
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
United Arab Emirates is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 3 the year before. The archive holds 417 news items on United Arab Emirates, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
FEBRUARY 28, 2020United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTYUAE: COURT ORDERS EXECUTION FOR ‘PREMEDITATED MURDER’
The Ajman Criminal Court sentenced to death an Arab man for premeditatedly murdering his friend after stabbing his heart, Gulf Today reported on 27 February 2020. The parents of the victim have refused the blood money.
FEBRUARY 27, 2020United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTYUAE: FATHER SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING DAUGHTER
An Asian national was sentenced to death by the Ras Al Khaimah Criminal Court after it found him guilty of sexually abusing his minor daughter, MENAFN reported on 27 February 2020.
- JANUARY 30, 2020United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: DEATH PENALTY FOR WHITE WEAPON KILLER IN AJMAN
A criminal court in the United Arab Emirates ordered on 26 January 2020 the execution of a convict in the 2018 death of 2 Emirati youths who died a sword fight.
- JANUARY 1, 2020United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE...
The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE...
- OCTOBER 18, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: DEATH SENTENCE UPHELD FOR TWO ASIANS ACCUSED OF RAPE AND MURDER OF A WOMAN
The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi on 8 October 2019 upheld the death sentences of two Asian men in connection to the rape and murder of a woman in the UAE.
- JULY 29, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: DEATH PENALTY FOR EXPAT WHO KILLED MAN INSIDE MOSQUE
A Uae resident who shot a man dead inside a mosque in Al Ain in 2017 has been sentenced to death, the Khaleej Times reported on 29 July 2019.
- MAY 1, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: EXPAT SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR HEINOUS CRIME
Sharjah Criminal Court sentenced a man to death after being found guilty of killing two brothers inside their apartment in Sajaa Industrial Area.
APRIL 19, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTYUAE: 8 SENTENCED TO DEATH IN SHARJAH FOR ARMED ROBBERIES
Eight men have been sentenced to death in Sharjah on 18 April 2019 for carrying out a string of armed robberies at money exchanges and cash machines in the emirate last year.
- APRIL 9, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: DEATH PENALTY TO MURDERER AFTER CLAIMING MENTAL ILLNESS
The Sharjah Criminal Court sentenced an Asian man with the death penalty for murdering his co-worker, and claiming he suffered from metal illness.
- APRIL 9, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: 8 ALLEGED MURDERERS TO PAY DH 200,000 BLOOD MONEY
The Sharjah Sharia Court of First Instance has ordered eight men accused of murder to pay Dh200,000 as blood money to the victim's family, and sentenced them to 3 years and 6 months' in jail followed by deportation, Khaleejtimes reported on 8 April 2019.
- APRIL 4, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING COUSIN OVER DH400
A farm worker, who killed his cousin because the victim demanded that he pay back the Dh400 he owed, has been sentenced to death.
MARCH 27, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTYUAE: ASIAN MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING HIS WIFE
The Fujairah Criminal Court has sentenced an Asian man to death for killing his wife, an Arab woman.
- JANUARY 1, 2019United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE...
The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE...
DECEMBER 24, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTYUAE: ASIAN TO BE EXECUTED FOR KILLING COLLEAGUE
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court sentenced an Asian to execution on charges of throttling his colleague to death with ghotra (cloth used by a community to form a turban out of the same), The Gulf Today reported on 18 December 2018.
DECEMBER 22, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTYUAE: DEATH PENALTY UPHELD FOR MAN WHO KILLED, RAPED PAKISTANI BOY
The Abu Dhabi Cassation Court on 22 December 2018 upheld the death sentence of a Pakistani man for raping and brutally murdering an 11-year-old boy.
- DECEMBER 4, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: MAN KNIFES BOSS FOR WITHHOLDING SALARY FOR SEX, GETS DEATH PENALTY
A worker accused of killing his boss for refusing a salary increase has been sentenced to death, khaleejtimes.com reported on 29 November 2018.
- NOVEMBER 23, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: MAN GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR STABBING GUARD WITH KNIFE
A construction worker, who stabbed a security guard to death using a kitchen knife, has lost his appeal against the death sentence, khaleejtimes reported on 31 October 2018.
- NOVEMBER 20, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: MAN GIVEN DEATH PENALTY AFTER KILLING COLLEAGUE WITH IRON BAR
A man has been sentenced to death for killing a colleague with an iron bar after arguing at breakfast in Ajman, The National reported on 18 November 2018.
- OCTOBER 30, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH AFTER STABBING NEIGHBOR 13 TIMES
An Asian man has appealed his death sentence after being accused of murdering his neighbor and trying to rape his wife, khaleejtimes reported on 25 October 2018.
- JULY 24, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: INDIAN WALKS FREE 12 YEARS AFTER GETTING DEATH SENTENCE
An Indian man, who was on death row for murdering a compatriot over bootlegging will travel back to his home country a free man, later today
- JUNE 18, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: MAN MURDERS GIRLFRIEND'S EX-LOVER OUT OF REVENGE, GETS DEATH SENTENCE
The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal upheld an earlier ruling by a lower court which handed down the execution sentence to a Tunisian national after he was found guilty of premeditated murder.
- APRIL 17, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: DEATH SENTENCE UPHELD FOR ABU DHABI CHILD KILLER
The Abu Dhabi Court has upheld the death sentence of the killer of 11-year-old boy, Azan.
- MARCH 26, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: MAID SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR KILLING INFANT
The Sharjah Criminal Court ruled, in the presence of ‘blood relatives,’ to execute the Asian maid who was convicted of premeditatedly killing Salama Salem Al Mazmi, a 9 month-old infant.
- MARCH 6, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: MAN WHO KILLED LOVER'S HUSBAND SENTENCED TO DEATH BY DUBAI COURT
A man who killed his lover’s husband was sentenced to death in the UAE after being convicted of premeditated murder.
- JANUARY 1, 2018United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE...
The death penalty is rarely applied in the UAE...
- NOVEMBER 28, 2017United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: CHILD KILLER GETS DEATH SENTENCE
The Abu Dhabi court has ordered death penalty for the killer of 11-year-old boy, Azan, bringing justice to the family. The court of First Instance handed the execution order to the 33-year-old Pakistan man.
- NOVEMBER 23, 2017Saudi ArabiaDEATH PENALTY
ANTI-TERROR STATES ADD 2 ENTITIES, 11 INDIVIDUALS TO TERRORIST BLACKLIST
The Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ); Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, added two entities and 11 individuals to its blacklist.
- NOVEMBER 23, 2017United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE EXECUTES JORDANIAN WHO RAPED, KILLED 8-YEAR-OLD COMPATRIOT BOY
November 23, 2017: UAE authorities executed Nidal Eisa Abdullah, the convict who raped and killed eight-year-old boy Obaida in May 2016, local media reported.
- NOVEMBER 5, 2017United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE: DEATH PENALTY FOR KILLING HIS WIFE
A Gulf national has been given death penalty on charges of beating his 25-year-old Arab wife to death.
- OCTOBER 24, 2017United Arab EmiratesDEATH PENALTY
UAE COURT COMMUTES DEATH PENALTY OF FIVE IN MURDER CASE
A Sharjah (UAE) court has commuted the death sentence of five Indians, including four Punjabis, to three-year imprisonment in a murder case.