The UAE’s judiciary is entirely independent and judges are subject to no authority other than the rule of law and their conscience. The accused is innocent until proven guilty and there shall be no detention without a warrant.
The UAE’s judiciary is entirely independent and judges are subject to no authority other than the rule of law and their conscience. The UAE adopts three levels of courts for litigation purposes. This system enables the affected party to challenge the case and present more evidence within the provisions of the law.
The UAE makes its laws accessible through its Official Gazette. In addition, the full text of the UAE's laws that cover different areas concerning people and businesses can be found on the legislations portal of Ministry of Justice. Read more about the UAE’s Federal Judiciary.
These rights include:
Accused is innocent until proven guilty
No person shall be held accountable for the crime of another person. The UAE's judicial system respects the dignity of people. The UAE penal code (PDF, 1 MB) presumes that an accused is innocent until proven guilty. No criminal penalty may be imposed on anyone until his guilt is proved according to the law. No person shall be held accountable for the crime of another person.
No detention without warrant
No one may be arrested, searched, detained or imprisoned except under the circumstances and conditions mentioned in the law. Detention or imprisonment may take place only in places designated for that purpose and for the period specified in the warrant issued by the competent authority. Law enforcement authorities may not enter into any place of residence except under the circumstances specified in the UAE Criminal Procedural Law, or in case of a request for assistance from the resident who could be under a serious threat to his life or property. Learn more about the provisions of the UAE’s Criminal Procedural Law.
Read Bill of Rights for the Accused (PDF, 1 MB).
Rights to an attorney
Anyone accused of a felony (or a serious crime) punishable by a death sentence or life imprisonment may have a lawyer to defend him at the trial stage. If the accused did not appoint a lawyer, the court shall provide him with a lawyer whose fees are to be incurred by the state, as provided by the law. The accused in a felony punished by provisional imprisonment may also ask the court to provide him with an attorney in his defence, after verifying his financial inability to hire a lawyer.
Right of speedy trials
The UAE introduced the use of remote communication technologies into civil proceedings to speed trials. (Reference Federal Decree No. 10 of 2017 amending the Civil Procedures Law). It also adopted the concept of one-day-labour court to ensure quick verdicts and reduce delays at the courts.
In 2018, Dubai Courts introduced ‘C3 Court’ the world’s first judicial system in which all three courts – first instance, appeal and supreme court hear each other concurrently rather than consecutively. The new initiative reduces the total time frame for the three proceedings for each case from 305 days to 30 days.
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