National

In April 1998, Officials in the UAE said they had deported 5,759 foreigners since 1985 for being HIV positive. The bulk of the nation's foreign residents come from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the UK [R1.1].

National

In April 1998, Officials in the UAE said they had deported 5,759 foreigners since 1985 for being HIV positive. The bulk of the nation's foreign residents come from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and the UK [R1.1].

National

The Federal Penal Code (FPC, Law No. 3 of 1987) (Effective March 21, 1988) provides -

Article 354. "Irrespective of the provisions of the Act on Delinquent and Vagrant Juveniles, any person who forcibly engages in sexual intercourse with a woman, or a homosexual act with a homosexual, shall be punished with the death penalty. Coercion shall be recognised if the condemned person was fourteen years of age at the time of the commission of the offence" [R1.1].

Sexual acts between women are not prohibited as such, but adultery is as well as all other sexual contacts outside of heterosexual marriage [R1.1].

Apart from federal law, consensual sodomy is criminalised in the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Article 80 of the Dubai Penal Code punishes sodomy with a penalty of up to 14 years imprisonment, while article 177 of the Abu Dhabi Penal Code punishes such acts with a penalty of up to ten years imprisonment [R1.2].

Homosexuality is illegal in the Muslim UAE and neighbouring Gulf countries, where offenders could face flogging along with imprisonment, while foreigners could also face expulsion [R1.3].

Police

In July 2008, police in the Gulf tourist hub of Dubai said they'd detained 17 foreigners for allegedly displaying homosexual behavior in malls and other public places [R2.1].

Courts & Tribunals

In September 2008, A lesbian couple vacationing in Dubai were sentenced to one month imprisonment and face subsequent deportation for "indecent acts in public" [R3.1].

Courts & Tribunals

In February 2006, a United Arab Emirates court jailed 12 men who were arrested after being discovered preparing for a gay wedding, but acquitted another 14 defendants. They were sentenced to five years in prison for homosexuality and one year for obscenity" [R1.1].