Law No. 11 of 2004 Issuing the Penal Code

Article 23 (Amended By Law 23/2009)

Classification of Crimes

Article 21

Offences are three types:

Felonies;
Misdemeanors; and
Contraventions.

The nature of the offence shall be determined according to the maximum limit of the penalty prescribed by the law.

Article 22

Felonies are offences sanctioned by the death sentence, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a term more than three year.

Unless the provisions of the law stipulate otherwise, imprisonment for felonies shall not be less than three years.

الجنح هي الجرائم المعاقب عليها بالحبس لمدة لا تزيد على ثلاث سنوات وبالغرامة التي تزيد على ألف ريال، أو بالتشغيل الاجتماعي، أو بإحدى هذه العقوبات، ما لم ينص القانون على خلاف ذلك.

Article 24

Contraventions are offences punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 1000).

Article 25

Save as otherwise stipulated by the law, the nature of the offence shall not change in case the court decides to replace the prescribed sanction thereto with a more mitigated one, whether on grounds of legal excuses, or because of discretionary extenuating circumstances.

Elements of Crimes

Material Element

The Consummated Crime

Article 26

The material element of an offence is the criminal behaviour involved in the commission or omission of an act where such commission or omission is criminal according to the law.

Article 27

A person shall not be liable for an offence that did not result from his criminal behaviour. However, a person shall be liable for an offence if, together with his criminal behaviour, some other prior, contemporaneous or subsequent cause, whenever this cause is expected in the ordinary course of events, played a part in its commission.

Where this cause alone is sufficient in itself to cause the result of the offence, the person shall only be liable for the act he has actually committed.

Attempt

Article 28

An attempt is the initiation of an act with the intention to commit a felony or misdemeanor, which is prevented or frustrated for reasons unrelated to the intentions of the perpetrator. Save as otherwise stipulated by the law, the mere intention to commit a felony or a misdemeanor or acts in preparation thereof shall not be deemed as attempting.

Article 29

Unless otherwise provided in the law, attempt to commit a felony shall be sanctioned by the following penalties:

Life imprisonment, should the penalty prescribed for the felony is death sentence.
Term imprisonment of no more than fifteen years and not less than five years, should the penalty prescribed for the felony is life imprisonment.
Imprisonment for a term not exceeding half the maximum limit prescribed for the consummate felony, if the sanction of the felony is imprisonment.

Article 30

The law shall determine the misdemeanors in which the attempt is punishable by law as well as the penalty for such attempt.

Article 31

The provisions governing secondary punishments prescribed for the consummate offence shall apply to the attempt.

Mental Element

Article 32

The mental element of the crime is composed of the intention ( mens rea) or the mistake. the intention is present when the will of the perpetrator is directed to commit or omit an act, in order to produce a result punishable by law and which the perpetrator expected.

The mistake occurs whenever the criminal result is achieved as a result of a mistake on the part of the perpetrator, whether such mistake is due to negligence, carelessness, non-precaution, recklessness, imprudence or non-observance of the laws or regulations.

Unless the Law explicitly provides for premeditation, the perpetrator shall be liable for the offence whether it was committed deliberately or by mistake.

Article 33

The criminal intention is deemed to have been exceeded when the intention of the perpetrator was to produce a result less severe than that produced and which he did not intend.

Article 34

“Ignorantia juris non excusat”: Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

Ignorance of the offence provision or the wrong interpretation thereof shall not negate the actual criminal intent.

Article 35

Unless otherwise stipulated by law, the motive for the commission of an offence is not taken into consideration.

Article 36

mistake of fact, on reasonable grounds, shall be a ground for excluding criminal responsibility only if it negates the mental element required by the crime.

If an offence is committed because of a mistake of fact, the liability of the perpetrator shall be determined on the basis of the facts as he believed them to be if they were to negate or reduce his liability, provided that his belief is based on reasonable grounds.

In case the mistake that makes the perpetrator believes his non-liability is due to his negligence or incaution, he shall be liable for a non premeditated crime, should the law sanction this offence as such.

Article 37

Except for ministries, other governmental departments, and public organizations and institutions, any other legal person shall be criminally liable for the offences committed by his representatives, managers, and agents acting on his behalf or in his name, and it shall not be allowed to judge him except by a fine, and applicable provisions from the secondary penalties stipulated by law; if the law stipulates a principal penalty in addition to the fine, then the fine shall not exceed a maximum limit of five hundred thousand (500.000) Qatari Riyals.

This does not negate the punishment of the perpetrator in person with the appropriate penalty set out in the law.

Reasons of Permissibility

Complicity

Article 38

A perpetrator is one who:

1- Commits an offence by himself or with another.

2- Commits on purpose an act or the elements constituting the offence, should it consist of several elements.

3- Acts as accomplice in the commitment of the offence and be present during its execution.

4- Uses another person by any means to execute the elements of the offence, where the latter is considered non-liable for any reason.

Article 39

The following shall be deemed as accomplice:

Whoever abets the commission of an offence which occurs as a consequence of such abetting.
Whoever agrees with another on the commission of an offence which occurs as a result of such agreement.
Whoever knowingly aids the perpetrator in any manner in the commission thereof, making the occurrence thereof possible, due to such aid.

Whoever knowingly supplies the principal to an offence with a weapon, instrument or anything else to commit an offence or deliberately assists the principal in any other way to carry out acts thereof

Article 40

Unless otherwise stipulated by the law, whoever participates in the commission of an offence shall be punishable by the penalty prescribed for that offence.

Article 41

Where an accomplice is not subject to the sanction on grounds of one of the causes of permissibility, or for the lack of criminal intent or for other particular reasons related thereto, the other accomplices shall not benefit therefrom.

Article 42

Where there exist material circumstances in the offence that would by their nature aggravate or extenuate the penalty, they shall affect all participants to the offence, principal or accessory, whether they are aware of those circumstances or not.

Where there are personal circumstances which would change the description of the offence, they shall not affect any person other than the person concerned, unless that other person is aware of them.

Any other circumstance shall only affect the person concerned, whether or not it is aggravating or extenuating.

Article 43

Where there exist personal defences absolving from or extenuating the penalty to an offence, whether as principal or accessory, then it shall affects only the person concerned.

Material defences that absolves a party to an offence from the penalty or extenuating that penalty shall apply on whoever participated in the offence.

Article 44

Should the characterization of the crime or the penalty change according to the intent of the perpetrator or his knowledge circumstances thereof, the accomplices in the offence, whether perpetrator or accomplice shall be punished according to their intent or knowledge.

Article 45

A party to an offence, whether as principal or accessory, is only punishable by the penalty for the offence that has actually been committed even though he did not intend to commit the offence, as long as the offence that is committed is the probable consequence of his participation in it

Article 46

Should a person agrees with any other person or persons that a course of conduct shall be pursued which, if the agreement is carried out in accordance with their intentions, will necessarily amount to or involve the commission of a felony or misdemeanor by one or more of the parties to the agreement, the person(s) shall be guilty of criminal agreement, even if the offence or offences in question, was not committed.

The penalty of criminal agreement shall be imprisonment for a maximum term of five years, if the penalty of the offence in question was death sentence or life imprisonment.
Unless the law provides otherwise, if the penalty for the offence is less than the foregoing penalty, the penalty for the criminal agreement shall be imprisonment for one-third of the maximum term of imprisonment imposed for the offence, or a fine not exceeding one third of the maximum fine imposed
Any person shall be exempted from the penalties prescribed herein, If he promptly notifies the competent authorities of the existence of a criminal agreement and of participants therein, before any felony or misdemeanor is committed as a result of that agreement, and before those authorities have begun to investigate the conspirators.
If the authorities are notified after they have begun their investigations, then he is not exempted from the penalty unless the information leads to the arrest of the conspirators.

Part 4

Article 47

Nothing is an offence which is done in good faith, in exercising the right justified by the Law or Islamic Sharia and within the limits thereof.

The said rights are as follows:

1- Practicing medicine according to acknowledged scientific principles in the licensed medical professions, with the consent of the patient or his representative, expressly or implicitly, or if the medical procedure is an emergency or the patient is not in a condition to express his will or it is difficult to obtain the consent of his representative in a timely manner.

2- Violence while practicing sports within the limits decided for the game, in compliance with the rules of caution.

3- The necessary violence to arrest a perpetrator caught flagrante delicto.

4- Challenge of litigants against each other during the written or verbal defense in front of the investigating authorities or the courts within the limits that this defense requires

Article 48

There is no crime if a public servant commits the act in any of the following cases:

1- Executing the order of a superior that he must obey, or that he thought was his duty to obey.

2- Enforcing law, or believing in good faith that it is his duty to enforce it.

In all cases, the employee must prove that he did not commit the act until he had investigated it and as a result believed that it was legal according to reasonable causes.

Article 49

Nothing is an offence which is done in the exercise of the right of legal defence.

The right of legitimate defense exists when the following conditions are available:

When the defendant acts reasonably to defend himself or others or his property or the property of others from a significant or imminent danger provided that the act contributing to the offence is proportionate to the danger from which he is protecting himself.
When the defendant is unable to recourse to the public authority at the appropriate time to avoid danger.
When the defendant has no other way to avoid the danger.
When the offence is necessary to face an attack and is proportionate to it.

Article 50

The right of legitimate defense does not allow intentional killing except to avert one of acts hereinafter enumerated:

Such an assault as may reasonably cause the apprehension that death or grievous hurt will otherwise be the consequence of such assault

2- An assault with the intention of committing rape, or ravishment of any person by force.

3- An assault with the intention of kidnapping or abducting.

4- Felonies of arson, destruction or theft.

5- Breaking inhabited house or annexes thereof by night.

Article 51

Exceeding in good faith the legitimate limits of defense, using more power than that reasonably called for in this situation, without intending to cause more harm than that required for defense, the judge, if the act is a felony, may excuse the person and rules according to the penalty of misdemeanor in place of the penalty stipulated by law, and may consider this an extenuating condition if the act is a misdemeanor.

Article 52

The case of legitimate defense exist, even if the person against whom this right is used is not criminally liable, and shall be established according to the provisions of the restraint of liability defined by law.

Part 5

Responsibility Impediments

Article 53

Nothing is an offence which is done by a child under seven years of age.

The procedures provided for in the law for juveniles concerning the perpetrator in a felony or a misdemeanor who reaches seven years old and under fourteen years old shall apply.

Article 54

Nothing is an offence which is done by a person who, at the time of committing the offence, in a state of unconsciousness or loss a loss of reason or volition due to insanity or infirmity of mind or because he is in a state of intoxication or under the influence of drugs resulting from the consumption of intoxicating or narcotic substances given to him against his will or without his knowledge or due to any other reason which leads one to believe that he has lost his reason or volition is not criminally liable.

If madness, mental defect, medicines, drugs, alcoholic and intoxicating materials or any other reason that causes only deficiency or weakness in consciousness or in capacity when the offence is committed, it shall be considered an extenuating excuse.

In cases where an act done is not an offence unless done with a particular knowledge or criminal intent, a person who does the act in a state of loss of reason or volition induced by intoxicating or narcotic substances acquired knowingly and of his own free will, shall be punishable for the offence that is committed.

Article 55

Criminal liability shall not be held against any person who, when omitting the crime;

1- is unable to differentiate, for a reason against his will.

2- commits the offence, beyond his own volition, to protect himself or another person from an extreme imminent danger posing a threat to the person or his possessions.

Both 1 and 2 are subject to the proviso that the perpetrator is not able to avoid the danger by any other means, and the offence committed must be proportionate to the danger.

Article 56

Nothing is an offence by reason that it causes, or that it is intended to cause, or that it is known to be likely to cause, any harm, if that harm, is so negligible that no person of ordinary sense and temper would complain of such harm.

Article 57 (Amended By Law 23/2009)

العقوبات الأصلية هي:
1- الإعدام.
2- الحبس المؤبد.
3- الحبس المؤقت.
4- الغرامة.
5- التشغيل الاجتماعي.

Article 58

The death sentence shall not be executed except after ratification by the Emir

Article 57 (Amended By Law 23/2009)

العقوبات الأصلية هي:
1- الإعدام.
2- الحبس المؤبد.
3- الحبس المؤقت.
4- الغرامة.
5- التشغيل الاجتماعي.

Article 59

Death sentence shall be executed by hanging or by gun fire to death.

Article 60

Imprisonment is the incarceration of the convicted person in one of the penitentiary establishments allocated for this purpose by law for lifetime if it is life imprisonment, or the term imposed if it is temporary.

Article 61

The court may link imprisonment with hard labor, if the term of imprisonment is six years or more, and the offence or its circumstances justify this.

Article 62

Whoever sentenced to imprisonment shall be charged to do work provided for in the Penitentiary establishments subject to any limitations due to their state of health.

Article 63

A fine penalty obliges the convicted person to pay the imposed amount to the State.

Article 63 - BIS (Added By: Law 23 / 2009)

عقوبة التشغيل الاجتماعي هي إلزام المحكوم عليه بأن يؤدي، لمدة محددة، عملاً من الأعمال المبينة في جدول الأعمال الاجتماعية، المرفق بهذا القانون.

Article 63 - مكرر 1 (Added By: Law 23 / 2009)

يجوز للمحكمة، بناءً على طلب النيابة العامة، أن تحكم بعقوبة التشغيل الاجتماعي لمدة لا تزيد على اثنى عشر يوماً، أو أن تستبدل هذه العقوبة بعقوبة الحبس الذي لا يجاوز هذه المدة أو بعقوبة الغرامة، وذلك في الجنح المعاقب عليها بالحبس مدة لا تجاوز سنة وبالغرامة التي تزيد على ألف ريال، أو بإحدى هاتين العقوبتين، متى رأت المحكمة أن طبيعة الجريمة أو الظروف التي ارتكبت فيها تبرر ذلك.
وإذا امتنع المحكوم عليه عن تنفيذ عقوبة التشغيل الاجتماعي، تكون العقوبة الحبس لمدة أسبوع، عن كل يوم من مدة العقوبة لم يتم تنفيذه.

جدول الأعمال الاجتماعية

1- حفظ أو تحفيظ ما تيسر من القرآن الكريم.
2- محو الأمية.
3- رعاية الأحداث.
4- رعاية ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة.
5- نقل المرضى.
6- تنظيف الطرق والشوارع والميادين العامة، والشواطئ والروض، والمحميات الطبيعية.
7- تنظيف المساجد وصيانتها.
8- تنظيم وتنظيف وصيانة المنشآت الرياضية، وبيع التذاكر.
9- تنظيم وتنظيف وصيانة المكتبات العامة.
10- زراعة وصيانة الحدائق العامة.
11- تحميل وتفريغ الحاويات بالموانئ.
12- معاونة الأفراد العاملين بالدفاع المدني في أعمالهم.
13- أعمال البريد الكتابية.
14- الأعمال الإدارية بالمراكز الصحية.
15- الأعمال الكتابية وقيادة المركبات في مجال مراقبة الأغذية.
16- تعبئة الوقود.

Article 63 - مكرر 2 (Added By: Law 23 / 2009)

يُكلف المحكوم عليه بعقوبة التشغيل الاجتماعي بأداء الأعمال المحددة في الحكم الصادر ضده، لمدة ست ساعات في اليوم الواحد، وذلك وفقاً للأسلوب وبالطريقة التي يصدر بتحديدها قرار من النائب العام.

Secondary Penalties

Article 64

Ancillary penalties are either accessory or complementary.

The penalty is dependent if the law finds it an absolute consequence of the principal penalty.

The penalty is complementary if imposing it is based on the verdict of the judge, whether mandatory or permitted by law.

Article 65

The dependent and complementary penalties are:

1- Prevention from some or all rights and privileges provided for in Article 66 of the present Law.

2- Prevention from practicing a profession.

3- Dismissal from public positions.

4- Exclusion from the place or the public establishment

5- Placing under police control

6- Confiscation

7- Deportation of a foreigner from the country

Article 66

Any judgment bearing a criminal penalty shall require automatically and by force of the law the deprivation of the convicted person from all the following rights and privileges:

1- Being in charge of a public office or work as a contractor for the State.

2- Becoming a member of the legislative, consultative and municipal councils, boards of directors committees, public establishments, joint-stock companies, associations, private establishments and mutual associations, being in charge of the administration of any of them or participating in the election of their members.

3- Being in charge, custodianship, guardianship and agency for minors and persons considered as such.

4- Wearing decorations ribbons and medals whether national or foreign.

5- Carrying weapons.

The period of prohibition shall be three years from the date of the completion of the penalty or its earlier termination

Article 67

If the convicted condemned to a criminal penalty enjoys, when the judgment becomes enforceable, one of the rights stated in the preceding Article, he shall be prevented from such rights with immediate effect. If he does not enjoy such rights, he loses the capacity of enjoying them thereof.

Article 68

In any judgment whereby a criminal penalty is imposed against a person exercising a self-employed profession organized by law, and which requires the obtaining of a license, an offence perpetrated during the exercise of the activities of the said profession or caused by it and including any violations of the obligations set by the law or the conventional ethics of the profession, the judge may decide to bar the convicted person from exercising his profession for a period not exceeding ten years.

If the judgment imposes imprisonment for a term exceeding seven years, the judge shall decide whether to bar the convicted person from exercising his profession for a period equal to the imposed term of imprisonment.

Article 69

The court may, when passing a judgment for an offence with a misdemeanor penalty, decide to prohibit the convicted person from any of the rights or privileges provided under Article 66 hereof, for a period not less than one year and not exceeding three years as of the date of the completion of the penalty or its earlier termination

Article 70

The Court shall, when passing a judgment against a public officer receiving a misdemeanor penalty in one of the offences provided for under chapters one, two and three of part three of book two hereof, decide to order his dismissal for a period not less than one year and not exceeding three years as of the date of the completion of the penalty or its earlier termination.

Article 71

In addition to the special cases provided by the law for closure, the court shall order the closure of a place or public establishment where the work is exercised, in either of the two following cases:

1- If it decides the prohibition from the exercise of the profession pursuant to Article 68 hereof, the closure shall be for the same period of the prohibition of exercise.

2- If it decides a penalty for the exercise of a craft in a public establishment which does not fulfill the conditions required by the law, which may threaten the life of persons, their health or security or to disturb them, the closure shall last until the said conditions are fulfilled.

Article 72

whoever condemned to imprisonment for a term exceeding seven years for an offence against the external or internal security of the State, in an offence of bribery, embezzlement, damage to public funds, forgery of money or government financial bills, arson, possession of explosives or intentional murder, shall be put by virtue of the law, after completing of his penalty, under police probation for a period equivalent to half of the term of his penalty, on the proviso that the police probation shall not exceed five years.

The court, however, may reduce the period of control or exempt the person thereof.

Article 73

Every judgment of condemnation against a recidivist in an offence of forgery, theft, mistrust, fraud or hiding proceeds of a crime or attempted crime may include, in addition to the decided penalty, putting the convicted person under police probation for a period not less than one year and not exceeding two years.

Article 74

Any person who subject to police probation shall have to comply with the following terms:

1- Inform the police station of his domicile and any change thereof; the police station may not approve his residence in the said place if located in the region where the offence was perpetrated; if he has no domicile, the police station shall determine a place where he shall reside.

2- Permanently carry a card provided to him by the police station of his area bearing all the specifications about his identity and which he shall submit to the police station upon any request.

3- Appear before the police station in his area once a week, at the time set on the card and at any time he is required by the police station to do so.

4- To be at his domicile from sunset and sunrise unless he obtains an authorization from the police station allowing him to be absent from his designated domicile during the specified period or part of it.

Article 75

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5000QR) or either penalties shall apply to any person who infringes any of the probation conditions provided by the present law

Article 76

The court may, when passing a judgment for a felony or misdemeanor, decide to confiscate seized items resulting from the offence, used or might have been used therein without prejudice to the rights of third parties in good faith. If the said items belong to a category, including the manufacture, use, possession of or dealing with the items, is considered an offence in itself, a judgment to confiscate shall be passed in all circumstances, even if the said items do not belong to the accused.

Article 77

Without prejudice of the rights of the relevant administrative authorities in deporting any foreigner pursuant to the law, the court may, when it condemns a foreigner to a penalty restrictive of liberty in a felony or misdemeanor, decide to deport him from the State after serving the penalty.

If the judgment for the penalty provided for in the previous paragraph is issued for an offence against honor or trust, the court shall decide to deport the foreigner from the State after the completion of the penalty or it being dropped.

Article 78

The court may, in matters of misdemeanors, decide to deport the foreigner from the country instead of condemning him to the penalty provided for the offence.

Suspension of Penalty Execution

Article 79

The court, when passing a judgment for an offence punishable by a term of imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or a fine, may order the suspension of the execution of the penalty if it considers that the morals of the convicted, his past, age or the circumstances in which the offence was perpetrated, to be good reasons to believe that he shall not reoffend.

The court may decide that the suspension of the execution shall include any subsidiary penalty and all the criminal effects except for confiscation.

Article 80

The suspension of the execution of the penalty shall last three years from the day the judgment become definitive. If the said period elapses without a judgment is passed to overturn the suspension of the execution, the judgment imposing the penalty shall be considered not applicable.

Article 81

The suspension of execution may be an ed in the two following cases:

1- If during the period of suspension, a judgment for imprisonment is passed against the convict for more than three months for an intentional offence perpetrated during or before the said period and the court did not know about it when ordering the suspension of execution.

2- If it appears that a judgment of imprisonment for a term of more than three months for an intentional offence was passed before ordering the suspension of execution and the court did not know about it.

Article 82

The competent court for an ing the suspension of execution is the court which ordered such suspension or the court which sentenced the convict to imprisonment during the term of suspension. The judgment for annulment of the suspension shall be rendered upon request of the general prosecution or the victim after summoning the convict to appear.

Article 83

The judgment for annulment of the suspension of the execution of the penalty shall result in its execution.

Multiple Offences and Penalties

Article 84

Should one act constitutes a plurality of offences, the offence with the most severe penalty shall be taken into consideration and its penalty shall prevail to the exclusion of any other.

Article 85

Should multiple offences are perpetrated for one purpose bound to each other in an inseparable way, they shall be considered as one offence and a sentence for the most severe penalty provided for any of the offences shall be passed.

Article 86

The judgment for the most severe penalty for the offence, in the two preceding Articles, shall not prevent the court from applying secondary penalties provided for the other offences.

Article 87

Should the perpetrator in the case provided for by Article 85 hereof was prosecuted for the offence with the lowest penalty; he shall be prosecuted afterwards for the offence with the most severe penalty.

In this case, the court shall order execution of the penalty set by the last judgment, with a deduction of the part of the previous judgment, which was actually executed.

Article 88

Should a person commits a plurality of offences before he is sentenced for one of them, and the said offences do not fulfill the conditions provided under Articles 84 and 85 hereof, he shall be guilty for the penalty set for each of them, and all the ordered penalties shall apply to him successively, provided that the total executed periods of the judgments issued for a penalty of imprisonment for an offence or misdemeanor together not exceeding twenty years, and provided that the total periods of the executed judgments passed for a penalty of imprisonment for misdemeanors shall not exceed ten years.

The felony penalty shall be replaced for its period by any penalty restrictive of liberty for any offence, which was perpetrated before the passing of the judgment for a penalty of the said offence.

Article 89

Capital punishment shall replace all other penalties except fine and confiscation.

Article 90

Fines and secondary penalties shall be executed whatever their number, provided that the total periods of police probation shall not exceed five years.

Part 7

Legal Excuses and Discretionary Conditions

Article 91

The law states the reasons for an exemption from a penalty and for the imposition of a lesser penalty

Article 92

If the court considers, when reviewing a felony that the circumstances of the offence or of the perpetrator require mercy, it may reduce the penalty provided for the said offence as follows:

1- If the penalty for the offence is capital punishment, it may be reduced to life imprisonment or imprisonment for a term of no less than five years.

2- If the penalty for the felony is life imprisonment, it may be reduced to imprisonment for a term of no less than three years.

3- If the penalty provided for the felony is imprisonment for a term not exceeding twenty years, it may be reduced to imprisonment for a term of no less than one year.

The provisions of this Article shall not apply when passing a judgment for a terrorist offence.

Article 93

Should the court consider, when sentencing for a misdemeanor that the circumstances of the offence or the perpetrator require mercy, it may reduce the penalty as follows:

1- If there is a minimum limit for the penalty, the court may not comply therewith.

2- If the penalty is imprisonment and a fine together, the court shall impose one of them only.

3- If the penalty is imprisonment without a minimum term limit, the court may apply a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5000QR) in lieu of.

Article 94

The law states the effect of aggravating circumstances on the penalty provided for the offence.

Article 95

Any one of the following cases shall be considered recidivist:

1- Any person against whom a final judgment bearing a felony penalty was previously issued and then it is established that he perpetrated a subsequent felony or a misdemeanor.

2- Any person against whom a final judgment bearing a misdemeanor penalty was previously issued for an offence of forgery, theft, breach of trust, trickery, receiving stolen goods or items or proceeds resulting from an offence, or commencement of any such offence he perpetrated, then subsequently perpetrated within five years from the judgment one of the said offences or attempted any of them.

The court may sentence the recidivist to more than the maximum limit stipulated by the law for the offence provided that double of the said limit shall not be exceeded and that the term of imprisonment shall not exceed twenty years.

Article 96

If the recidivist was previously condemned to two penalties restrictive of liberty, both for a period of one year at least or three penalties restrictive of liberty one of which for at least one year, for theft, fraud, breach of trust, forgery, receiving crime proceeds or the attempt of any such offences, then it was established that he subsequently perpetrated one of the said offences or attempted the same, on which he was sentenced after he was convicted for the last of the said penalties, the court may issue a judgment imposing imprisonment for a term of less than three years and not exceeding .

Article 97

Should aggravated circumstances are combined with extenuating excuses or circumstances in one offence, the court shall apply first the aggravating circumstances then the extenuating excuses, then the extenuating circumstances.

However, if the aggravating circumstances and the aggravating excuses have different effects, the court may apply the most severe of them.

BOOK TWO

Crimes Against Public Interest

Part 1

Crimes against External State Security

Article 98

Capital punishment shall apply to the following:

1- Any person who carries weapons against the State, or attempts the same or instigates thereto?

2- Any person who intentionally perpetrates an act leading to harm the independence of the State or the integrity and sovereignty of its territories.

Article 99

Capital punishment shall apply to any Qatari who joins, in any way, the armed forces of a county in a state of war with the State of Qatar.

Article 100

Capital punishment shall apply to the following:

1- Any person who contacts a foreign country, or any of the agents working for it, to undertake hostile acts against the State of Qatar.

2- Any person who contacts a hostile foreign country, or any of the agents working for it to help them in their warfare operations against or to harm the warfare operations of the State of Qatar.

Article 101

Capital punishment shall apply to the following:

1- Whoever interferes intentionally in any way in recruiting soldiers, men, funds, supplies, ammunitions or plans any for the benefit of any country in a state of war with the State of Qatar.

2- Whoever encourages soldiers in time of war to serve a country in a state of war with the State of Qatar or facilitates such act.

3- Whoever interferes for the benefit of the enemy to plan for jeopardizing the allegiance and commitment of the armed forces, weakening their morale, the morale of the people or their resistance force.

Article 102

Whoever facilitates the entry of the enemy to the country, facilitates their control of part of its territory, its ports, a fortress or a military site, a ship, an aircraft, weapons, ammunitions, apparatus, supplies, food, military missions, a means of transport, a factory, a plant or any other item or utility meant for self- defense or used for such purpose, shall be punished with Capital punishment.

Article 103

Whoever helps the enemy by providing them with information or instructions shall be punished with Capital punishment.

Article 104

Life imprisonment shall apply to any person who renders any service to enemy forces to obtain a benefit or a profit or promises to do so by himself or through an intermediary of another person, whether directly or indirectly and whether the benefit or the profit is material or non-material.

Article 105

Life imprisonment shall apply to any person who destroys, damages or ruins intentionally weapons, ships, aircraft, missions, plants, means of transport, public utilities, pipelines, ammunitions, provisions, medicines or others meant for the defense of the country or used in such purpose.

The same penalty shall apply to any person who badly manufactures or repairs any of the aforementioned objects intentionally, or intentionally commits an act, which renders them inoperable even temporarily for their intended purpose, or is the cause of any consequent damage.

Capital penalty shall apply if the offence is committed in time of war.

Article 106

If the offences mentioned in the preceding Article are committed through negligence or default, the penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years if the offence is committed in time of war.

Article 107

Capital punishment or life imprisonment shall apply to any person who seeks to work for another country or any of its agents, or contacts any of them in a way that causes damage to the military, political or economic wellbeing of the State.

Article 108

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding twenty years shall apply to any person who destroys intentionally, hides or falsifies papers or deeds if he knows that they deal with the security of the State or any public interest, thus resulting in military, political or economic damage and harm to the State.

Article 109

The following shall be considered as defense secrets of the State:

1- Military, political and economic information known by the persons who have the right to know and who in the interest of the defense of the country are required to keep the information secret and away from others.

2- Correspondence, written documents, deeds, drawings, maps, plans, pictures and other items, the disclosure of which may lead to information mentioned in the previous paragraph being revealed which in the interest of the defense of the country is required to be kept secret and not known to anyone other than those in charge of maintaining and using such information.

3- News and information concerning the armed forces, their formations, movements, apparatus, provisions, staff and other issues involving military matters and warfare plans, provided that no written authorization was issued by the military authorities for their publication or diffusion.

4- Information concerning the investigative measures and procedures used to reveal the offences provided for in this part, to arrest the criminals, as well as information concerning the progress of an investigation and trial, when the investigative authority or the relevant court has prohibited their publication or diffusion.

Article 110

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years shall apply to any person who discloses to a foreign State or to any of its agents or reveals to any of them in anyway, anyhow and by any means any of the secrets of defense of the country, and manages in any way to obtain one of the said secrets with the intention to disclose or reveal it to a foreign State or one of its agents , or anyone who destroys something considered as one of the secrets of defense of the State or renders it unusable.

The penalty shall be capital punishment if the offence is committed in time of war.

Article 111

The penalty of life imprisonment shall apply to any public employee who discloses one of the secrets of defense of the State. The penalty shall be capital punishment if the offence is committed in time of war.

Article 112

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years

shall apply to:

1- Any person who obtains by an illegal means one of the secrets of the defense of the State without intending to disclose or reveal it to a foreign country or any of its agents.

2- Any person who discloses by any means any State defense secrets.

Article 113

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years shall apply to any person who discloses intentionally, in time of war, information, statements and rumors, which are false, biased propaganda, which cause damage and harm to the warfare preparations for the defense of the State, the military operations of the armed forces or in frightening the people and weakening the morale of the State.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years if the offence is committed as a result of contact with a foreign State.

When committed as result of contact with an enemy State, the penalty shall be life imprisonment.

Article 114

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years shall apply to any person who undertakes, without the authorization of the relevant authorities, the recruiting of soldiers or any other hostile act against a foreign State in a way that exposes the country to the danger of war or breach of diplomatic relations.

The penalty shall be capital punishment or life imprisonment if the said offence resulted in starting a war or breach of diplomatic relations.

Article 115

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (QR 15.000) shall apply to any Qatari who discloses intentionally abroad false or biased information, statements or rumors concerning the internal situation of the State, which may weaken the trust in the economy of the State or harm its international standing or reputation, or who starts in anyway an activity resulting in harm to national interests.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years if the offence is committed in time of war.

Article 116

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years and a fine not less than fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (QR 15.000) and not exceeding one hundred thousand Qatar Riyals (QR 100.000) to:

1- Any person who undertakes directly or through another country, in time of war, to export merchandise, products or other items to a hostile country or imports such merchandise from the said country.

2- Any person who starts personally, or through other parties, in time of war, trade activities other than those provided by the previous paragraph, with a person residing in a hostile country or with any of the nationals of the said country, their representatives, agents or committees.

In all circumstances, the objects that are the elements of the offence shall be confiscated and, if they are not seized, the perpetrator shall be liable to an additional fine equivalent to the value of the said objects.

Article 117

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years shall apply to

1- Any person who flies over the territory of the country without authorization of the competent authorities.

2- Any person who takes pictures makes drawings or plans of sites or places contrary to current prohibitions issued by the competent authorities.

3- Any person who enters a fortress, any defense facility, camp or place for military forces, military or commercial ships, military aircraft or vehicles, an arsenal, any military place, location or factory where activities for the purpose of the defense of the country is started and where the public is not authorized to enter.

4- Any person who resides in or attends any of the places where residence or

attendance is prohibited by the competent authorities.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years, if the offence is committed in time of war or by using any means of trickery, fraud, disguise, or false personality, nationality, profession or capacity.

The same penalty shall apply to any person who commences to commit any of the said offences.

Article 118

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years shall apply to any person who abstains intentionally, in time of war, from executing all or part of the obligations required by a contract to undertake transport, exportation, enterprise or public works to which he is bound with the State for the needs of the armed forces, the requirements of the civilian population, or commits any fraud in their execution.

The penalty shall be capital punishment if the offence is committed with the intention to damage the defense of the State or the operations of the armed forces.

The two previous paragraphs shall apply to subcontractors, agents and brokers if the default of execution of the commitment or the fraud in the execution is due to their acts.

Article 119

If the default of execution of all or part of the commitments stipulated in the preceding Article is due to negligence or failure, the penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.

Article 120

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (15.000QR) shall apply to any person who requests for himself or for other parties, accepts or takes, even through an intermediary, from a foreign State or from any of its agents, money or any other benefit, with the promise to intentionally committing an offence to harm national interests.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years and a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand Qatar Riyals (100.000QR) if the offence is committed in time of war or if the perpetrator is a public officer or a person entrusted with a public utility. The same penalty shall apply to any person who gives, promises or offers some of the provided issues with the intention to commit an offence damaging to the national interests of the State even if what he gives, promises or offers is not accepted. The same penalty shall also apply to any person who is an intermediary in committing any of the previous offences.

Article 121

The penalty of imprisonment for a term of no less than five years and not exceeding fifteen years shall apply to any person who is assigned to negotiations with a foreign State, or with a natural or legal foreign person, in one of the State subjects, and who intends to carry out said negotiations contrary to the interests of his State.

Article 122

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (15.000QR) shall apply to any person who discloses, to a foreign State or to its agents, in any way or manner, or by any means, news, information, items, correspondence, deeds, maps, drawings, pictures or others belonging to the State while an order by relevant authorities is in force prohibiting publication and diffusion.

Article 123

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years shall apply to any public officer assigned to guard a prisoner of war or any of the prisoners charged with or sentenced for one of the offences set out in the present part who allows or helps intentionally the said detainee or prisoner to escape from his prison or place of detention.

Article 124

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years shall apply to any person who helps or assists prisoners responsible for one of the crimes provided for in the present section or a prisoner of war, to escape, or commences such act, gives him accommodation, food, drink, money, weapons, ammunitions or any means of transport, hides him after his escape or resists his arrest while being aware of his status.

Article 125

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (15.000QR) shall apply to any person who collects, registers or diffuses any information pertaining to the movements, numbers, specifications or conditions of any of the armed forces, military ships or aircraft of the State of Qatar without authorization from the relevant authority.

Article 126

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (15.000QR), or either penalty, shall apply to any person who knows about the attempt of one of the offences provided for in the present section, or about the attempt to commit any of them, and does not inform the relevant authorities thereof promptly.

The two penalties of imprisonment and fine shall be doubled and imposed both if the offence is committed in time of war.

The provisions of the present Article shall not apply to the spouse of the perpetrator , his ascendants or descendants.

Article 127

A penalty shall apply to any collaborator in the offences provided for in the present part:

1- If he knows the intention of the perpetrator and offers him assistance, means of subsistence, accommodations, shelter, a place for meeting or other facilities.

2- If he hides items that were used or meant for use in committing the offence or which resulted thereof while knowing such a fact.

3- If he destroys, hides or changes intentionally a document, which would facilitate the discovery of the offence, its evidences or the punishment of its perpetrator. In such cases, the court may exempt from the penalty the spouse of the perpetrator , his ascendants and descendants, unless liable for punishment under another legal provision.

Article 128

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years shall apply to any person who participates in a criminal agreement whether the purpose is the perpetration of one of the offences provided for in this Article or its use as a means to achieve the purpose of the said criminal agreement.

The same penalty shall apply to any person who instigates the agreement or plays a role in managing it; if the purpose of the agreement is to commit one determined offence or use it as means to reach the intended purpose, the penalty provided for the said offence shall apply to him.

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years shall apply to any person who calls another person to take part in an agreement of this kind even if his call is not accepted.

Article 129

Any criminal who undertakes to inform the relevant authorities before the commencement of the crime or before the investigation begins shall be exempted from the penalties stated in this Article

The court may allow an exemption from the penalty if the information is given after the perpetration of the offence and the beginning of the investigation; the court may also reduce the penalty if the perpetrator facilitates an arrest by the authorities of any of the criminals during the investigation or trial.

Part 2

Crimes against Internal State Security

Article 130

Capital punishment shall apply to any person who tries to overthrow the regime of the country, seize it by force or threaten to use such means.

If the offence is perpetrated by an armed guerilla force, capital punishment shall apply to any person who forms the guerilla force, and assumes its leadership or command.

Article 131

Capital punishment shall apply to any person who threatens the life of the Emir, his security or liberty, or intentionally exposes his life or liberty to danger.

The same penalty shall apply to any person who commits any of the previous offences on the representatives of the Emir and the Crown Prince.

Article 132

Capital punishment shall apply to any person who assaults by force the authority of the Emir, whether by depriving him of all or part of the said authority, deposing him or compelling him to desist from all or part thereof.

The same penalty shall apply to any person who perpetrates one of the mentioned acts on the deputy Emir or the Crown Prince.

Article 133

The penalty of life imprisonment shall apply to any person who threatens or uses any other illegal means to cause the Emir, the deputy Emir or Crown Prince to take or abstain from a duty assigned to him by law.

Article 134

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years shall apply to any person who challenges by any public means the exercising by the Emir of his rights or authorities, or criticizes his person.

The same penalty shall apply to any person who commits any of the previous offences on the deputy Emir or the Crown Prince.

Article 135

The penalty of capital punishment or life imprisonment shall apply to any person who attacks within the territory of the State, the security of the President or Head of a foreign country or his liberty, or intentionally exposes his life or liberty to danger.

Article 136

The penalty of life imprisonment shall apply to any person who instigates by public means to overthrow the regime of the country, or conducts propaganda or calls by public means for the adoption of a doctrine aiming to destroy the fundamental values of the State, to change the social or economic system prevailing in the country by use of force or through any illegal means.

Article 137

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years shall apply to any person who is found in possession of any tract, letter or printed document, or any other material inciting the overthrow of the regime by force, by illegal means, or infringes general security or promotes any of the said issues.

Article 138

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (15.000QR), or one of these two penalties shall apply to any person who insults through any public means the flag of the State or the flag of a non-hostile State, whether by destroying or lowering it, or by any other action expressing hate and disdain.

Article 139

Without prejudice to any more severe penalty, a penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (15.000QR) or one of these two penalties, shall apply to any person who participates in a crowd composed of at least five persons in a public place, with a view to perpetrating an offence, infringing public security and who remains in the crowd after the agents of public force have ordered them to leave the place. The same penalty shall apply to any person who participates in a crowd while holding a knife weapon, canes or other solid instrument not usually held in normal circumstances.

If the person demonstrating in a crowd carries a fire arm, the penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Part 3

Crimes Related to Public Position

Bribery

Article 140

Any pubic officer who asks for or accepts, for himself or another party, money, benefit or a simple promise for something in return for undertaking any activity or abstaining from carrying out any activity under the remits of his office shall be considered a receiver of bribery; the penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years and a fine not exceeding what he received or promised shall apply to him, provided that it shall not be less than five thousand Qatar Riyals (5000QR).

The same penalty shall apply to any public officer who asks for or accepts, for himself or another party, money, benefit or a simple promise for something in return for undertaking an activity or abstaining from carrying out an activity, which is not included in the remits of his office, but who believes by error or pretends that it so . Any special benefits received by an officer or another party from the sale of a movable asset or real estate at a price higher than its true value, its purchase at a price lower than its true value, or from any contract concluded between the the briber and the bribed shall be considered bribery.

Article 141

The penalty stipulated in the preceding Article shall apply to any person who offers money, benefit or promise to a public officer in the said respect, and if the officer accepts the offer or the promise.

The same penalty shall apply to the intermediary between the briber and the bribed.

The briber or the intermediary shall be exempted from the penalty if he informs the relevant authority about the offence or declares it before its discovery even after its realization.

Article 142

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (15.000QR) shall apply to any public officer who accepts money or benefit from a person for whom he does or abstains from doing an activity of the said office, or who after the accomplishment of the said activity or not so doing, seeks to obtain a reward for his activity or not so doing despite there being no previous agreement.

Article 143

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatar Riyals (15.000QR) shall apply to:

1- Any person who receives money or a benefit pretending that it is bribery for an officer, while he intends to keep it or part of it for himself.

2- Any person who receives money or profit while knowing its purpose even if the officer intended to receive the bribery did not appoint him or did not know about him, provided that he is not an intermediary in the bribery.

Article 144

If the purpose of the bribery is to commit an offence punishable by the law with a penalty more severe than the one provided for under bribery, the set penalty with the fine provided under Article 140 hereof shall apply to the briber, the bribed and the intermediary.

The briber or the intermediary shall be exempted from the penalty if he informs the relevant authorities about the offence and the provided information leads to the arrest of any of the perpetrator s.

Article 145

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatari Riyals (15.000QR) shall apply to any person who offers a bribe to a public officer as declined.

Article 146

Any employee who asks, for his benefit or for that of another party, for money or a benefit or a promise of something in return without the knowledge of his employer and his consent, to undertake any of the duties assigned to him or abstain from so doing, shall be considered a receiver of a bribe and shall be liable on conviction to a penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatari Riyals (15.000QR) or either of the two penalties.

Article 147

In addition to the penalties stipulated in this chapter, the confiscation of what the briber or the intermediary offered shall be considered.

The perpetrator shall also be dismissed from public office and a fine equal to the amount of the bribe.

Embezzlement and Damage to Public Money

Article 148

Whoever, being a public officer, embezzles money, papers, or others, which were in his possession in respect of his public office shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of no less than five years and not exceeding ten years.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term of not less than seven years and not exceeding fifteen years if the perpetrator is entrusted with deposits of cash or monetary exchange, or if he is assigned to collect fines, fees, taxes or the like and the money is delivered to him in this capacity.

Article 149

Whoever, being a public officer, illegally takes possession of funds, papers or other property owned by the State or any authority mentioned in Article 4 hereof or facilitates such act for another party shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 150

Whoever, being a public officer, intentionally damages the property or the interests of the institution where he works, or the assets or interests of a third party entrusted thereby, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 151

The penalty of imprisonment for a term of no less than one year and not exceeding three years shall apply to any public officer who causes through his fault serious damage to the assets or the interests of the institution where he works, the assets or interests of third parties entrusted by the said institution, if this results from negligence or failure to perform his obligations, or as a result of abusing his power.

Article 152

Whoever, being a public officer infringes by means of trickery or by any other illegal means, the liberty or security of State bids or auctions, or any of the authorities mentioned in Article 4 hereof shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 153

Whoever, being a public officer, entrusted to protect the interests of the institution in which he works, in respect to a deal or issue, and who intentionally harms such interests, to obtain a benefit for himself or for another party, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 154

Whoever, being a public officer involved in the preparation, management or execution of an undertaking, export, works or enterprises dealing with one of the authorities mentioned in Article 4 hereof, obtains or attempts to obtain for himself or another, directly or through an intermediary, or by any illegal way, a profit, a benefit or a commission from one of the mentioned actions shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 155

Whoever intentionally commits fraud in the execution of all or part of the commitments stipulated by the contract to undertake or supply public works or other contracts or conventions by which he is bound with one of the authorities mentioned in Article 4 hereof shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of no less than five years and no more than fifteen years if the offence results in serious prejudice or if the contract pertains to the requirements of defense and security if the perpetrator was aware of the said purpose.

Any of set penalties, according to the circumstances, shall apply to sub-contractors, agents or intermediaries if the fraud is due to their actions

Article 156

Whoever, being a public officer knowingly involved in collecting fines, fees, taxes or the like, who requests for or takes non-due amounts or amounts exceeding the due payments shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 157

Whoever, being a public officer involved in employing workers in jobs related to his office, retains for himself all or part of their due salaries or other due benefits, employs directly or indirectly chore workers and takes their salaries, writes down in the books of the authorities mentioned in Article 4 hereof the names of fictitious or real persons who did not carry out any of the mentioned jobs, takes possession of their salaries or pays the salaries into the bank accounts of the said persons shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years.

Article 158

In addition to the penalties prescribed for the offences mentioned in this chapter, the perpetrator shall be dismissed from public office, fined a sum equal to the value of the funds of the offence or resulting thereof.

Position Misuse and Power Abuse

Article 159 (Amended By Law 8/2010)

يعاقب بالحبس مدة لا تجاوز خمس سنوات، كل موظف عام استعمل القوة أو التهديد مع متهم أو شاهد أو خبير أو أمر بذلك لحمله على الاعتراف بجريمة أو على الإدلاء بأقوال أو معلومات بشأنها أو لكتمان أمر من هذا الأمور.
وإذا ترتب على فعل الموظف إصابة المجني عليه بعاهة مستديمة، عوقب الجاني بالحبس مدة لا تجاوز عشر سنوات.
وإذا ترتب على هذا الفعل وفاة المجني عليه، عوقب الجاني بالإعدام، أو الحبس المؤبد..

Article 160

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR) or one of the two penalties shall apply to any public officer who uses the power vested in him by virtue of his office to damage any individual, or to bring an illegal benefit for himself or to third parties.

Article 161

Whoever, being a public servant uses harshness with any person during as part of his office duties or compels him to any act except in those cases where the law authorizes such acts shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 162

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR) or one of the two penalties shall apply to any public officer who, under pretext of the powers of his office, enters the house of a person or any of its attachments, without the consent of the concerned person or causes someone else to enter therein except in those cases authorized by law.

The same penalty shall apply to any public officer who searches a person, a house or a store without the consent of the concerned person, or causes someone else to do the same except in those cases authorized by law.

Article 163

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years shall apply to any public officer who arrests a person, imprisons or seizes him except in those cases authorized by law, or orders a penalty for a convicted person that is more severe than stipulated by law or a penalty for which the perpetrator was not convicted.

Article 164

1- To protect a person from serving or executing his due sentence by reducing the imposed penalty or delaying its execution.

2- To protect any asset from confiscation, seizure, or any restriction set by the law on the said asset, or to delay its confiscation or seizure, or to impose or execute any restriction on it.

Article 159 (Amended By Law 8/2010)

Article 165

The perpetrator, in addition to the penalties stipulated for offences in this Chapter, may be sentenced to exclusion from public office.

Article 159 - BIS (Added By: Law 8 / 2010)

يعاقب بالحبس مدة لا تجاوز خمس سنوات، كل موظف عام، أو أي شخص آخر يتصرف بصفته الرسمية، استعمل التعذيب أو حرض أو وافق عليه أو سكت عنه، مع شخص ما.
وإذا ترتب على التعذيب إصابة المجني عليه بعاهة مستديمة، عوقب الجاني بالحبس مدة لا تجاوز عشر سنوات.
وتكون العقوبة الإعدام أو الحبس المؤبد، إذا ترتب على التعذيب وفاة المجني عليه.
ويعد تعذيباً أي عمل ينتج عنه ألم أو معاناة شديدين، جسدياً كان أم معنوياً، يُلحق عمداً بشخص ما لأغراض الحصول منه، أو من غيره، على معلومات أو على اعتراف، أو معاقبته على عمل ارتكبه، أو يشتبه في أنه قد ارتكبه، هو أو شخص آخر أو تخويفه أو إرغامه هو أو أي شخص آخر، أو عندما يلحق مثل هذا الألم أو العذاب لسبب يقوم على التمييز أياً كان نوعه. ولا يشمل ذلك الألم أو المعاناة الناشئ فقط عن عقوبات قانونية أو الملازم لهذه العقوبات أو الذي يكون نتيجة عرضية لها.

Insulting, Assaulting, and Threatening Public Officers

Article 166

A penalty for a term not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (3000QR) or one of the two penalties shall apply to any person who humiliates by word, sign or menace a public officer during the exercise of his office or due to the said exercise.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR), or one of the two penalties if the humiliation affects a court, a body with jurisdictional attributions or any of its members during the hearing.

Article 167

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR) shall apply to any person who attacks a public officer or any person entrusted with a public utility, if the perpetrator resists with force or violence whilst the officers exercise their legally assigned duties.

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term of no less than six months if the aggression or resistance is accompanied by beating, without prejudice to any more severe penalty set by the law for any action accompanied by aggression or force.

Article 168

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years shall apply to any person who uses force, violence or menace to prevent a public officer from exercising the duties of his office; if the perpetrator successfully achieves his purpose, the penalty shall be imprisonment for a term of no less than five years and not exceeding ten years.

Article 169

The offenses mentioned in this Chapter shall be considered as perpetrated in aggravating circumstances if:

1- The offence is perpetrated with premeditation.

2- The offence is perpetrated by more than one person.

3- The perpetrator carries visible weapons.

The imposed penalty shall be doubled when aggravating circumstances occur.

Crimes Related to Justice

Impersonation

Article 170

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR) or one of the two penalties shall apply to any person who impersonates a public officer and falsely takes on official roles of the officer and enters a place forbidden to all except the said officer or commences such action.

The same penalty shall apply to any officer who is dismissed, discharged or suspended from his duty, and who is officially informed to this effect, then if he performs any action relating to his former office, he is committing an offence.

Article 171

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5000QR) or one of the two penalties shall apply to any person who illegally wears a uniform or bears a sign pertaining to a category of public officers, wears a uniform or bears a sign pertaining to a rank higher than his, bears a decoration, a ribbon, a star, the sign of an office or claims a scientific or university title or a general deputyship quality. This provision shall apply in the case of the uniform, the decoration or others belonging to a foreign country.

Part 4

Perjury

Article 172

Whoever, being a witness who, after taking the oath before a judicial or investigative authorities, gives false testimonies or withholds all or some of the information of which he is aware regarding the facts of the case concerning which his testimony is being made, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The same provisions shall apply to any person instructed by judicial or investigative authorities to work as an expert or translator and deliberately commits an act of misrepresentation.

Article 173

Whoever, being a witness, gives false testimony that lead to the imprisonment of the accused, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to seven years and a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 15.000).

If the testimony has the consequence of passing a judgment against the accused inflicting capital punishment, the witness shall be punished by capital punishment

Article 174

Whoever requests, takes, or accepts a donation or a promise in return of a false testimony shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR). The same penalty shall be applied to any person who gives, promises or acts as an intermediary to arrange a false testimony.

Article 175

Whoever coerces or seduces a witness by any means to give false testimony or to abstain from giving testimony even if the intended purpose is not achieved shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 176

Whoever being obliged to take the oath or his oath has been tendered back in respect of a civil matter but has given a false oath shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

However, an exemption from the punishment shall be granted to a person who admits the truth after giving a false oath but before pronouncing the judgment in respect of the case for which a judgment has been passed.

Article 177

Whoever, being a physician or midwife other than those provided for in Article 3 hereof, requests or accepts for himself or another party a donation or a privilege of any kind or a promise, for giving false evidence in the case of pregnancy, birth, disease, handicap or death, or gives evidence thereof as a result of request, recommendation or intercession, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

The provisions of Article 173 hereof shall apply if the false testimony resulted in a sentence of imprisonment or death.

Article 178

Shall not be punished:

The witness who gives evidence during a criminal investigation if he redresses the false evidence before the investigation is closed and before he is denounced.
The witness who gives evidence during the trial if he redresses the false evidence before any judgment in the lawsuit is passed even if not final.
The witness who may be exposed, if he tells the truth, to physical threats endangering his life, liberty or honour, or if his spouse is exposed to the said threats even if divorced from him, or if his ascendants, descendants, brothers, sisters or brothers-in-law or other close family members are also threatened.

Abstention to Testify and Delay of Legal Proceedings

Article 179

Whoever, being a witness before a judicial or investigative authority, refuses to appear, take the oath or otherwise withholds testimony before the said authority, unless there is a valid excuse for this refusal, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3000).

Where a witness changed his mind before the passing of a judgement regarding the issue of the case in respect of which he was supposed to give his testimony, the judge may exempt him from the punishment.

Article 180

Whoever intentionally, opens, conceals, destroys or seizes, destroys or disfigures a notice posted in execution of a judgment or an order issued by a jurisdictional authority shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3000).

Article 181

Whoever, in bad faith aims to hinder the measures of execution of a seized asset, whether by changing its place, hiding it, disposing thereof, destroying or changing its distinguishing features shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The same penalty shall apply if the action is committed by the owner of the asset or the guard thereof.

Article 182

The penalty stipulated by the preceding Article shall apply to any public officer who intentionally abstains, in an illegal way, from the execution of a judgment or an order, issued by a court thirty days after being officially notified to execute the said judgment, and that the execution of the judgment or the order is included in his duties.

Article 183

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR) or one of the two penalties, shall apply to any person who hides, destroys or takes possession of a written document, a deed or anything else submitted to the authority of investigation or in a lawsuit before any judicial authority, with the intention of misleading the courts or the authority of investigation.

The same penalty shall apply to the person with whom the written document, the deed or object subject matter of the offence was left.

Article 184

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR) shall apply to any person who, with the intention of misleading the courts, changes the appearance of persons, places or things, hides items of evidence of the offence or gives false information related thereto with knowledge of the facts.

Article 185

A penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand (QR 10.000) Qatari Riyals or one of the two penalties, shall apply to any person who conceals the corpse of a person who died as a result of an accident or a crime, or buries the said corpse without authorization for burial from relevant authorities.

Abstention to Report Crimes and Provide Support

Article 186

Whoever, in advance, knows about the perpetration of an offence or the existence of a plan to perpetrate an offence and who could prevent it but abstains, without valid excuse, to inform the relevant authorities shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand (QR 10.000) Qatari Riyals. The penalty shall not apply to the spouse of the perpetrator, his ascendants or descendants.

Article 187

Whoever abstains intentionally from providing assistance to a person who is threatened by a serious danger to his person or assets if the said danger results from a general catastrophe when the abstainer is able to provide such assistance without fear of any danger shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 188

Whoever fails to inform the relevant authorities, of the examination of a dead or injured person by a member of any of the medical professions when there are signs or circumstances leading to doubt the cause of death or injury shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR).

Article 189

Whoever neglects or postpones informing the relevant authority of an offence he is assigned to investigate or identify and of which he therefore knows shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

A fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (100.00QR) shall apply to any public officer aware of an offence if he neglects or postpones informing the relevant authorities about an offence even though he is not assigned to investigate the case.

No penalty shall be applied if the progress of the lawsuit, in the two cases stipulated in the two previous paragraphs, is subject to delay because of a complaint or an authorization or a request

False Communication

Article 190

Whoever knowingly and falsely presents a written or oral report alleging a criminal offence requiring a judicial penalty, to a public officer empowered to act upon the information shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The same penalty shall apply if the officer who receives the information is not empowered to act on the information.

Article 191

Whoever disturbs any public authority by making unfounded statements about catastrophes, accidents, offences or dangers and in such cases, the court may decide to compel the perpetrator to pay the expenses, which result from the said false statements shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Breaking Seals, Theft and Destruction of Documents and Items

Article 192

Whoever intentionally removes damages or destroys a seal affixed to papers, places or other things by virtue of a judgment, judicial or administrative order shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000) o. The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years if the perpetrator is the security guard.

Article 193

Whoever unlawfully destroys papers, deeds or official records deposited in government places and intended for storing, or delivered to the public officer assigned to take custody of the said items shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years if the perpetrator is the guardian or the person entrusted with the said items.

Article 194

Whoever takes possession of or conceals from the post officers or the officers of telecommunications, a letter, a cable, a package or a box, or opens any of them or discloses their contents of data or information or facilitates this to others shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The perpetrator may be dismissed from office in the cases provided for in this Article and the second paragraph of the preceding Article.

Chapter Six

Escape and Hiding of Arrested and Detained Persons

Article 195

Whoever escapes a legal detention shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand Riyals (QR 3000).

The penalty of imprisonment for a term shall not exceed three years if the escapee is a prisoner, if the offence is committed by more than one person, through menace or violence on persons and objects.

If weapons are used in the offence or a threat to use weapons, the penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Article 196

Whoever, being entrusted to guard a prisoner or a person in custody, to accompany or transport him, if he intentionally enables him to escape or feigns inattention to allow him to do so shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years. The same penalty shall apply to the public officer entrusted, pursuant to the obligations of his office, to arrest a person if he intentionally helps him to escape. The penalty of imprisonment

Article 197

The penalty of imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5000 QR) or one of the two penalties, shall apply to any person who is entrusted to guard a prisoner or a person in custody or to accompany or transport him and due to his negligence the said person escapes.

Article 198

Whoever helps a person in custody or a prisoner to escape in cases other than those mentioned above shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/ a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The penalty imposed shall be imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and no more than ten years if the escapee has been sentenced to death.

If the escapee has been sentenced to life imprisonment or to no more than three years in prison, or accused of committing a crime the penalty of which is capital punishment, or the crime has been committed by more than one person under duress or by force or by using a weapon, the penalty shall be no more than five years in prison.

Article 199

Whoever, knowingly, acting alone or with someone else, hides a fugitive, a convict or a person who should be in custody, or helps the offender in any way to escape justice shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000), and if capital punishment is the natural penalty for the offence, the offender hiding the convict shall be sentenced to up to five years in prison. This judgment shall not apply to the escapee's spouse, ascendants and descendants thereof.

Article 200

Whoever knows about a crime or a felony and helps the offender escape justice by lodging him or concealing relevant evidence shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

If capital punishment is the natural penalty for the offence, the fugitive's helper shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years. This penalty shall not apply to the convict's spouse, ascendants and descendants thereof.

Chapter Seven

Influencing and Defamation of Judiciary

Article 201

Whoever publicly disrespects or contempt a judge or any members of the prosecution in a lawsuit shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR) or to one of these two penalties, shall apply to any person

Article 202

Whoever induces a judicial employee, by order, request, menace, wish or recommendation, to modify normal legal procedures or to abstain from applying appropriate legal procedures, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 203

Whoever spreads publically and openly the following, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding a year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

1- News concerning a criminal investigation or documents relating to the investigation especially if the investigating authorities have banned diffusion of such news.

2- News concerning names or photographs of people subjected to the investigation, or procedures in lawsuits of marriage, parenting, divorce, separation, alimony, custody, adultery, calumny or disclosure of secrets.

3- Names or photographs of minor convicts.

4- Names or photographs of victims of rape.

5- Courts' deliberations.

6- News concerning lawsuits that the courts have decided to examine in closed sessions or where diffusion has been banned.

7- Names or photographs of convicts where the sentence is suspended.

Part 5

Crimes Related to Public Trust

Counterfeit and use of Deeds

Article 204

“Forging a document” means altering it with the aim of using it as a true document. The means of forgery are:

Changing the contents of the document including the writing, numbers, signs or photographs.
Putting a forged signature or stamp on a document, or changing an authentic signature, stamp, imprint or photograph.
Obtaining, through fraud, a person's signature, stamp or imprint on a document without the person knowing its content and without his consent.
Forging or counterfeiting a document and ascribing it to another person.
Filling a signed, stamped or imprinted blank paper with information that does not comply with the correct information of the holder of the signature, stamp or imprint.
Assuming an identity or changing it in a document that was made to prove it.
Changing the truth of a document.

Article 205

An official document is issued by a public employee or someone who participates in its issuing in any way, or gives it an official capacity.

Article 206

Whoever forges an official document shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years. If a public employee commits a forgery during or as part of his job, he shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years.

The penalty for forging an unofficial document shall be up to three years in prison.

Article 207

Any doctor or midwife who issues a forged certificate or statement concerning pregnancy, birth, disease, deformity or death or any other thing related to this profession shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding.

Article 208

Whoever knowingly gives untrue testimonies to the competent authorities in any procedures related to a death or an inheritance investigation, whenever a certificate of death or inheritance is issued based on these testimonies shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 209

Whoever assumes another name, even if fictitious or gives a false statement about his residence, to the judicial or investigating authorities shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or to a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR).

Article 210

Any person who knowingly uses a forged document shall be liable for the appropriate penalty as the law dictates, and any person who illegally uses for his own benefit a true document belonging to another person shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year.

Forgery and Counterfeit of Seals, Marks and Stamps

Article 211

Whoever alone or with another party forges or counterfeits the State's seal, or the signature or seal of the President of the State, or one of the Revenues' seals or stamps, or signs of any of the parties stipulated in Article 4, or the seal, signature or sign of any of the employees thereof, or the governmental stamps for gold, silver or other precious stones, in order to use them for their original purposes shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to fifteen years. The same penalty shall apply to any person who knowingly uses any of the above-mentioned or imports them to the country.

Article 212

Whoever illegally uses the State's seal, the seal of the Head of State or any of the Revenues' stamps or seals or the signs of any parties stipulated in Article 4, or the seal of any of its employees shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.

Article 213

Whoever commits any of the offences stipulated in the preceding two Articles if the Revenues stamps or seals, signs or imprints belong to any private individual shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.

Article 214

Whoever deletes or amends words, expressions or signs existing on a used revenue stamp in order to illegally reuse it shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding a year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand (QR 5.000) Riyals.

The same penalty shall apply to any person who knowingly circulates an already used Revenue stamp.

Article 215

Whoever forges or counterfeits metal panels or other signs issued by the Authorities/parties stipulated in Article 4 in implementation of the laws and regulations shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand (QR 10.000) Riyals.

The same penalty shall apply to any person who uses any of the aforesaid items knowing them to be forged or counterfeited and any person who uses a true sign or panel without having the right to so do.

Article 216

Whoever makes, causes to be made, distributes or offers for sale prints or models, no matter how they are made, that resemble the true signs or stamps used by the Post or National Telecommunications or the ones issued in any of the countries that are members of the International Postal Union shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding three thousand (3.000 QR) Qatari Riyals or one of these two penalties.

Article 217

In addition to the penalties of the offences mentioned in this chapter, a court shall order the confiscation of all forged or counterfeited stamps, seals and signs, and all the machines, tools and materials that are used to make them shall be confiscated.

Forgery and Counterfeit of Currency and Governmental Securities

Article 218

Whoever, falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any government instrument, bank note or bill or coins of the State or any other country. shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of no less than five years and not exceeding fifteen years and a fine of no less than five thousand (QR 5.000) Qatari Riyals and no more than fifteen thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 15.000).

Falsifying coins includes scaling down the metal or forging the coating or in resemblance or similitude of any coin of a denomination higher of value.

Article 219

Whoever introduces to the State, or takes out therefrom any currency or instrument stipulated in the preceding Article if it is forged, counterfeited or falsified and whoever promotes or deals with these forged things or possesses them for the purpose of promoting or dealing therewith, knowing the same to be false, forged, or counterfeit, shall be punished with same penalty stipulated in the preceding Article.

Article 220

Whenever such offences as stipulated in the two preceding Articles result in the reduction of the value of the national currency or the rate on government bonds, the punishment shall be life imprisonment.

Article 221

Whoever, knowingly seeks to promote invalid coins or paper currency into general circulation shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand (QR 5.000) Qatari Riyals.

Article 222

Whoever knowingly accepts forged, counterfeited or falsified coins or bank notes, or governmental bonds or instrument shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand (QR 5.000) Qatari Riyals.

Article 223

Whoever rejects the face value of the national currency determined by law shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/ a fine not exceeding five thousand (QR 5.000) Qatari Riyals.

Article 224

Whoever makes, sells or disposes of machines, tools or other things designed to forge, counterfeit or falsify any of the stipulations of Article 218 or obtaining them for use for this purpose shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Whoever possesses these machines, tools or things and is aware of their purpose, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term up to three years.

Article 225

In all offences mentioned in this Chapter, all forged, counterfeited or falsified currencies or bonds as well as the machines used to produce them shall be confiscated by a court order.

Article 226

Whoever informs the competent authorities before using the forged, counterfeited or falsified currency or bonds, and before the offence is discovered is to be exempted from the penalties stipulated in this chapter; if the offender informs the competent authorities after the crime has been committed, the court can exempt him from the penalty if the information leads to the arrest of any of the other offenders.

Falsifying Weight and Measure Units

Article 227

Whoever makes, sells or disposes of any forged or falsified measures or weight units knowing of the possibility of their use as true and legal units and measures, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Article 228

Whoever for the purpose of cheating uses an untrue balance, weight, or linear measure that differs from the correct unit or measure Imprisonment for a term not exceeding a year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Article 229

Whoever knowingly possesses an untrue or falsified balance or weight and measure units for the purpose of using them shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months and/or a fine not exceeding one thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 1.000).

Article 230

In all offences mentioned in this Chapter, all the balances, or weights or measure units, subject of the offence, shall be confiscated by a court order.

Part 6

Crimes of Public Danger

Arson

Article 231

Whoever purposely sets fire to another person's property shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years. The penalty shall be up to seven years if people's lives or property are exposed to danger.

Article 232

Whoever o purposely sets fire to his own property and jeopardizes other people's lives and properties shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years.

Article 233

Whoever purposely sets fire to an occupied property or a place prepared for housing, or for keeping money, a ship, oil well, or machines or equipment to produce, refine and transport oil, oil storage, or public resources shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not less than five years and not exceeding fifteen years.

Article 234

The above-mentioned penalties, shall apply to any person who purposely sets fire indirectly to objects in order to transmit fire to the thing to be burnt.

Article 235

The death penalty or life imprisonment shall apply to any case of arson mentioned in the preceding Articles leading to the death of another person.

Article 236

Without prejudice to any other more severe penalty stipulated by law, imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5.000QR), or one of these two penalties, shall apply to any person who accidently sets fire to another person's property.

Transgression on Public Facilities

Article 237

Whoever purposely destroys, ravages or damages machines, pipes, or equipment related to the facilities of water, electricity, gas, oil, telegraph, telephone, wireless, radio or television or any other public facilities and this action leads to the disablement or destruction of the facility shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 238

Whoever purposely destroys, ravages or damages fixed health facilities, mobile health units or their supplies, machines or tools and this action causes the facility to breakdown or become inoperable, or useless, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years.

Article 239

Whoever purposely destroys or damages any public sewer or drains, airports, roads, or public bridges shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who purposely destroys or damages any of the fixed signs in airports or public ports, or changes their place or makes them invalid or useless.

Article 240

Whoever purposely destroys or damages a light, a lighthouse, a buoy or any other objects used in navigation, or changes their position or makes them inoperable or useless shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Article 241

Whoever purposely destroys or damages any device, machine, or other object of first aid, firefighting, life guarding, or other apparatus intended to prevent other accidents, and in case of changing their position causing them to become inoperable or useless shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.

The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who is responsible, by virtue of the law or draft laws, for looking after the objects mentioned in the preceding Article but who fails to ensure their proper installation or make them inoperable or useless.

Article 242

Whoever makes any public street or bridge inoperable or unsafe for traffic shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Article 243

Whoever accidently commits one of the offences stipulated in this Chapter shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/ a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Transgression on Means of Transportation

Article 244

Whoever purposely sinks any maritime means of transportation or damages them in any way shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years. The offender, on conviction, shall be liable to the death sentence if the offence has resulted in the death of another person.

Article 245

Whoever hijacks or alters the course of a plane or a ship or takes the merchandise onboard, or harms any person onboard, and if this action causes the death of a person, the offender shall, on conviction, be liable to the death sentence shall be sentenced to life imprisonment. The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years if the offender returns the ship or the plane to the captain or to the person legally in control of the vessel, without causing any damages to the ship, the plane or the merchandise or harming any person on board.

Article 246

Whoever jeopardizes the safety of a plane or a ship or any other means of public transportation shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 247

Whoever purposely disrupts the course of any public terrestrial, maritime or aerial means of transportation shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Article 248

Whoever purposely jeopardizes the safety of any means of private transportation shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Article 249

Whoever erroneously causes an accident to any public terrestrial, maritime or aerial means of transportation which may disrupt its course or endanger the lives of passengers onboard shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years shall apply if the actions or inactions mentioned in this Article and the previous one lead to the death of any person.

Crimes Related to Public Health

Article 250

Whoever jeopardizes people's lives or safety by adding materials, germs or other substances to well water, water in public tanks or any other water resources which may cause death or endanger public health shall be punished with life imprisonment. Capital punishment shall be imposed if materials, germs or other substances added to the well water, water in public tanks or any other water resources leads to death.

Article 251

Whoever erroneously commits one of the offences stipulated in the preceding Article shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000). If this causes the death of any person, the penalty shall be a prison term up to seven years and a fine not exceeding twenty thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 20.000).

Article 252

Whoever purposely commits an act that might cause the spread of an infection or an epidemic shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years.

The penalty shall be capital punishment if this act results in the death of any person.

Article 253

Whoever accidentally spreads an infection or an epidemic shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

A prison term not exceeding seven years and a fine not exceeding twenty thousand Qatari Riyals (20.000QR) shall apply if this act causes death.

Article 254

Whoever purposely pollutes or spoils a well, public water supply, or any other water resource, or makes the water unusable in any way shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years and a fine not exceeding twenty thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 20.000).

Imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding two thousand Qatari Riyals (2.000QR), or one of these two penalties, shall apply if this happens by mistake or out of negligence or ignorance of the law or legal notices.

Article 255

Whoever purposely pollutes the national or territorial water and the water of the economic zone of the State of Qatar by draining or leaking chemical or oil materials, ship oils, laboratory or factory wastes, or dirty sewage water or any other materials that cause pollution whether from a ship or any source on land or an apparatus or tank intended to store the previously mentioned materials or transfer them from one place to another by sea or land, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years and/or a fine not exceeding two hundred thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 200.000).

Imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding fifty thousand Qatari Riyals (50.000QR), or one of these two penalties, shall apply if this happens by mistake, through negligence, or ignorance of the laws or legal notices. In addition to the penalties mentioned in the two previous Paragraphs, the offender shall pay a fine equivalent to the value of the damage caused.

Part 7

Social Crimes

Article 256

Whoever commits the following acts shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years:

1- Insulting Allah through writing, drawing, gesturing or in any other way or through any other means.

2- Offending, misinterpreting or violating the Holy Quran.

3- Offending the Islamic religion or any of its rites and dictates.

4- Cursing any of the divine religions according to the regulations of Islamic law.

5- Insulting any of the prophets through writing, drawing, gesturing or in any other way or through any other means.

6- Sabotaging, breaking, damaging or violating sites or their contents if they are made to perform religious rites for one of the divine religions according to the regulations of Islamic law.

Article 257

Whoever establishes, organizes or runs an assembly, association, organization or a branch aimed at opposing or challenging the basics and tenets of Islam, or calls upon, or favors or promotes another religion; cult or concept shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

Article 258

Any person who joins, participates or contributes in any way to one of the groups mentioned in the preceding Article shall be liable to a prison term up to five years.

Article 259

Whoever opposes or doubts any of the basics or tenets of Islam, or calls upon, or favors or promotes another religion, cult or concept shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Article 260

Whoever holds a meeting for the purpose of opposing or challenging the basics or tenets of Islam or promoting another religion shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who participates in the preparation of the meeting or joins it while being aware of its purpose.

Article 261

Whoever possesses documents, printed publications or recorded tapes or any other materials favoring or promoting the stipulations of Articles 256 and 259 with the intention of distributing them or revealing them to others, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who possesses any means of printing, recording or diffusing, or who prints, records or diffuses calls, anthems, or propaganda to a cult, assembly, association or organization with the knowledge that the aim of such actions relate to one of the purposes stipulated in the previous Paragraph.

Article 262

Whoever receives money directly or indirectly from a person or an association inside or outside the State for the purpose of committing one of the actions stipulated in Article 260 shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 263

Whoever produces, sells, exposes for sale or circulation, or possesses products, merchandise, prints or tapes, including drawings, slogans, words, symbols, signals or anything else that may offend the Islamic religion or other divine religions according to the dictates of Islamic law, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding one thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 1.000).

The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who uses disks, computer programs or magnetized tapes to offend Islam or other divine religions according to the dictates of Islamic law.

Article 264

Any of the perpetrators who report one of the offences under the provisions of the preceding Articles of this Chapter to the competent authorities before being exposed shall be exempted from the penalty. If the notification comes after exposure of the offence, the court has the right to exempt the perpetrator from the penalty whenever the notification leads to other arrests.

Article 265

In addition to the penalties stipulated in the preceding Articles, all parties mentioned in Article 257 of the present Law are to be disbanded and closed by a court order.

They will only be allowed to re-open legally after the prior approval from the Office of the Attorney General.

In all cases mentioned in the preceding Articles, the court judgment shall include the confiscation of money and materials used or made to be used in committing the offence or which was present in the places intended for the meeting of the parties as stipulated in Article 257 of the present Law.

Article 266

Whoever infringes or violates the sanctity and sacredness of the dead or the remains of a corpse, or the place destined for burying the dead, preserving their remains or preparing the funeral, or annoying the people gathered to perform funeral ceremonies shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Article 267

Whoever publicly eats or drinks during a day of Ramadan shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3.000).

Exposing Children to Danger

Article 268

Imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR), or one of these two penalties, shall apply to any person who takes a newly born child away of his parents, hides or exchanges him with another baby or falsely attributes him to parents other than his own parents.

Imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (3.000QR) or one of these two penalties shall apply if it is proven that the baby is born dead.

Article 269

Whoever jeopardizes a person under sixteen or a person incapable of protecting himself due to his mental, psychological or health conditions shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The penalty shall be up to three years in prison and/or a fine up to fifteen thousand Qatari Riyals (15.000QR), if the person is left alone in a deserted place or if the guardian is the offender.

Drinking, Gambling and Begging

Article 270

Whoever drinks any alcoholic beverages in a public place or opens a store or a house to trade in alcoholics shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3.000).

The same penalty shall apply to any person who is found drunk on a main road or, being intoxicated disturbs others.

Article 271

Whoever gives a person under sixteen years of age an alcoholic beverage or incites him to drink alcohol Imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 272

Whoever imports, exports, makes, extracts or produces alcohol or alcoholic beverages shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 273

Whoever sells or buys, delivers or receives, transports or possesses alcohol or alcoholic beverages, or deals with alcohol in any way for the purpose of trade or promotion shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 274

Gambling means any game in which the probability of gain and loss depends on uncontrolled chance and each party agree to give an amount of money or any other benefit to be agreed upon, in case of loss, to the winning party.

Article 275

Article 275

Whoever gambles shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months and a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3.000), or one of these two penalties. if gambling occurs in a public place, and performed openly or in any place or house made for this purpose the imprisonment can be extended to six months and/or a fine not exceeding six thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 6.000).

Article 276

Whoever opens or runs a place for gambling, and any person who organizes any gambling games in a public place, openly or in any place or house made for this purpose Imprisonment for a term not exceeding a year in prison and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Article 277

For gambling and drinking offences stipulated in this Chapter, the court shall confiscate the materials, money and equipment used in the offence and shall order closure of the place where the offence has occurred, and which may only be re-opened for a legal purpose after the approval of the Office of Public Prosecution.

Article 278 (Amended By Law 28/2006)

(replaced by Article 1 of Law No. 28 of 2006)

Whoever begs in roads or public places, leads or encourages minors to beg shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to one year. Or, in lieu of the said penalty, the beggar can be housed in one of the correction facilities made for this purpose. In all cases, the money resulting from the offence shall be confiscated and a judgment of the stipulated penalty issued.

Adultery and Crimes of Honour

Article 279

Whoever copulates with a female without her consent whether coercively, under duress or by ruse shall be sentenced to death or to life imprisonment.

The sentence shall be capital punishment if the perpetrator from the ascendants of the victim, or the guardian, or those undertaking the brining up or looking after the victim, or is a person having authority thereupon, or the servant thereof or the servant of the aforesaid in this Article.

Article 280

Whoever copulates with a female without compulsion, duress or ruse knowing that she is of diminished capacity or under sixteen years of age shall be punished with life imprisonment.

Capital punishment shall apply if the offender is one of those previously mentioned in the second Paragraph of the preceding Article.

Article 281

Whoever copulates with a female over sixteen without compulsion, duress or ruse shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to seven years.

The same penalty shall also be imposed on the female for her consent. The offender shall be sentenced to life imprisonment or to a prison term up to fifteen years if he is one of those previously mentioned in the second paragraph of Article 279 of the present Law.

Article 282

Whoever copulates with a female over sixteen without compulsion, duress or ruse knowing that he is prohibited to marry her for permanent or temporary reasons shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years shall apply to any person.

The same penalty shall apply to a female who accepts such copulation knowing that it is prohibited.

The offender shall be liable to life imprisonment or a prison term not exceeding fifteen years if he is one of the previously mentioned in the second Paragraph of Article 279 of the present Law.

Article 283

Whoever copulates with a male without any consent whether coercively, under duress or by ruse shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to fifteen years.

The death sentence shall be imposed if the offender is one of the previously mentioned in the second Paragraph of Article 279 of the present Law.

Article 284

Whoever copulates with a male without compulsion, duress or ruse knowing that he is of diminished capacity or under sixteen years of age shall be punished with life imprisonment.

The penalty shall be capital punishment if the offender is one of those previously mentioned in the second Paragraph of Article 279 of the present Law.

Article 285

Whoever copulates with a male over sixteen years of age without compulsion, duress or ruse shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to seven years.

The same penalty shall apply to the male for his consent. The penalty shall be life imprisonment or a prison term not exceeding fifteen years if the offender is one of those previously mentioned in the second Paragraph of Article 279 of the present Law.

Article 286

Whoever commits rape by force, ruse or under duress shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to exceeding fifteen years.

The penalty of life imprisonment or a prison term not exceeding fifteen years shall apply if the offender is one of those previously mentioned in the second Paragraph of Article 279 of the present Law.

Article 287

Whoever copulates with a person without compulsion, duress or ruse, knowing that this person is of diminished capacity, under sixteen years of age, powerless or unaware of the nature of the act performed on him or believes it to be acceptable shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years.

The offender if one of the previously mentioned in the second paragraph of Article 279 of the present Law shall be liable to life imprisonment or a prison term not exceeding fifteen years.

Article 288

Whoever copulates with a person over sixteen years of age without compulsion, duress or ruse shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years shall apply to any person who

The same penalty is imposed on the person consenting to this act. The offender, if one of the previously mentioned in the second Paragraph of Article 279 of the present Law shall be liable to life imprisonment or a prison term not exceeding fifteen years.

Article 289

The offender is assumed to know the age of the victim in the Articles stipulated in this Chapter.

Immoral and Disgraceful Actions

Article 290

Whoever makes gestures, dares to say or sing immoral things or perform obscene acts in a public place or an open space shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3.000).

Article 291

Whoever offends a female by words or makes a sound, a gesture or a display for the purpose of letting her hear the word or the sound, or see the gesture shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who violates the privacy of a female.

Article 292

Whoever produces, imports , exports , possesses or transports immoral books, prints, writings, drawings, photos, movies or symbols for the purpose of exploitation, distribution or display shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who declares, displays, sells, rents out or distributes such materials even if not publicly.

If a person under sixteen years of age is used in the crime, the penalty is a prison term not exceeding two years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR), or one of these two penalties.

Article 293

Whoever disturbs or annoys other people by using immoral expressions or words via a wireless set or other electronic means shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3.000).

Chapter Six

Instigation of Debauchery, Dissipation and Fornication

Article 294

Whoever instigates debauchery, dissipation or adultery in public through words, gestures or any other means shall be liable to a prison term of no less than six months and not exceeding three years.

Article 295

Whoever commits any of the following acts shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of no less than one year and not exceeding three years.

1- Opens or runs a brothel or contributing to its opening or running;

2- Owns a house or a store and leasing it knowing that it is going to be used as a brothel;

Article 296

Whoever commits the following offences shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of no less than one year and no more than three years:

1- Grooms a female to commit adultery;

2- Instigates, induces, seduces a female in any way to commit adultery or to frequent a brothel in order to commit debauchery whether inside or outside the country;

3- Leading, instigating or seducing a male by in any way to commit sodomy or dissipation;

4- Inducing or seducing a male or a female in any way to commit illegal or immoral actions;

5- Bringing, exposing or accepting a male or a female for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Article 297

Whoever commits any of the offences mentioned in the preceding Article through compulsion, duress or ruse or if the victim is under sixteen of age or the offender is one of the previously mentioned in Article 279 of the present Law, where the offender is assumed to know the real age of the victim, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to fifteen years.

Article 298

Whoever performs adultery or sodomy as a profession or for a living shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to ten years.

The same penalty shall be imposed on any person who exploits another person's immorality and prostitution.

Article 299

In addition to the penalties stipulated in the preceding Articles, the court shall order the closure of the place where the offence is committed, and may only reopen for a legal purpose with the approval of the Office of the Attorney General.

BOOK THREE

Crimes in Relation to People and Property

Part 1

Crimes Afflicting People’s Lives and Safety

Murder, Suicide and Assault

Article 300

Whoever willfully kills another person is punishable by death in the following circumstances:

1- If such murder is premeditated.

2- if such murder occurs as a result of the use of a poisonous or explosive material.

3- if such murder is committed against one of the perpetrator's parents.

4- if such murder is committed against a public servant or an officer entrusted with a public service during, by reason or because of his discharge of his job or duties.

5- If the murder is related to another felony or misdemeanor.

If the “avenger of blood heir” forgives or accepts blood money, the death penalty shall be commuted with imprisonment for term not exceeding fifteen years.

Article 301

“Premeditation” means the intended determination in advance to commit the crime, which therefore gives the offender enough time to calm down contemplating the possibility of refraining from committing the crime.

“Laying in” means lurking for the victim in the place where the crime is committed.

Murder is considered to be with premeditation and surveillance even if another person is murdered or the execution of the crime is dependent on a condition.

Article 302

Save as otherwise described in the preceding Article, whoever causes death by doing an act with the intention of causing death of a human being shall be sentenced to death or to life imprisonment.

The offender shall be sentenced to a prison term not exceeding seven years if the “avenger of blood heir” forgives or accepts blood money

Article 303

A woman, who purposely kills her baby immediately after birth so as to avoid disgrace because the baby is the result of incest, shall be sentenced to prison for a term not exceeding three years.

Article 304

Whoever attempted to commit suicide by using or taking any ac towards the commission of such offence shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/ a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3.000).

Article 305

Whoever abets or helps a person in any way to commit suicide, and if such suicide is subsequently committed as a result. Imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years shall apply to

If such person is under sixteen years of age or of diminished capacity, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years.

If such person is lacking the faculty of mind, this is considered a premeditated murder and the offender shall be liable to a prison term not exceeding seven years if the “avenger of blood heir” forgives or accepts blood money.

Article 306

Whoever purposely assaults a human being without intending to kill them but the assault nevertheless leads to his death, if the act is premeditated, the penalty shall be a term not exceeding fifteen years in prison. In either circumstance, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three years if the “avenger of blood heir” forgives or accepts blood money.

Imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years

Article 307

Whoever intentionally causes an individual a permanent deformity shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years.

If this is premeditated, the penalty shall be a prison term up to ten years. A permanent deformity is any injury leading to the amputation of an organ or part thereof, or the total or partial disablement of one of the senses in a permanent way.

In all cases, the offender shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years if the victim or the victim's guardians forgives or accepts blood money

Article 308

Whoever assaults any person in any way, and where the assault leads to their sickness or incapacity to work for more than twenty days shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding fifteen thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 15.000), if the act is premeditated or is executed by more than one person.

Article 309

Whoever purposely assaults any person in any way and where the assault is not as grave as is stipulated in the two preceding Articles shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000).

Article 310

The penalties stipulated in Articles 307, 308, and 309 shall apply to any assault which is the result of giving a person medications or materials causing a disease or incapacity.

Article 311

Whoever accidentally causes the death of a person through negligence, ignorance or fails to take heed, or fails to comply with laws or regulations shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years in prison, and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR).

In all cases, the offender shall be liable to a prison term not exceeding one year if the “avenger of blood heir” forgives or accepts blood money.

Article 312

Whoever accidentally harms a person due to negligence, ignorance or failure to take notice of or comply with the laws and legal notices shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and a fine not exceeding one thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 1.000). The penalty shall be imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 5.000), or one of these two penalties if the crime leads to a permanent deformity.

In all cases, the offender shall be liable to a prison term not exceeding two months if the victim or the “avenger of blood heir” forgives or accepts blood money.

Article 313

The penalty stipulated in the two preceding Articles shall be doubled, depending on the circumstances, if the crime is the result of a transgression of the offender's occupation, profession or job, or the offender is under the influence of narcotics or alcohol, or the crime leads to the death of a person or the injury of more than three people, or the offender fails to help or seek help for the victim despite having the capability to do so.

Article 314

If the crimes provided for in the preceding Articles are committed during wartime against the injured, even if they are enemies, this shall be considered as an aggravating circumstance

Abortion

Article 315

Whoever assaults a pregnant woman and where the assault causes miscarriage, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to ten years in prison.

Article 316

Whoever intentionally aborts a pregnant woman by administering to her medication or by other means causing abortion shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to seven years. The imprisonment term shall be up to ten years if the miscarriage occurs without the woman's consent or if the person executing the abortion is a doctor, a surgeon, a pharmacist, a midwife or any person working in fields related to medicine or pharmacy.

Article 317

Any woman who, without medical necessity, takes medicines that lead to miscarriage, or uses other abortion inducing means, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term up to three years.

Part Two

Abduction, Apprehension and Forced Labor

Article 318

Whoever unlawfully, kidnaps or abducts, takes, or holds, detains, or arrests or deprives any person of their freedom shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years. Punishment with imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years shall apply in the following cases:

1- If the offender wears an official uniform, holds a public employee's badge, impersonates, or shows a fake order of arrest, and claims it to be issued by competent authorities.

2- If the crime takes place by ruse, force or under duress, or through physical or psychological torture.

3- If the crime is committed by more than two people or an armed person.

4- If the period of abduction, arrest, detention or deprivation of freedom exceeds fifteen days.

5- If the purpose of the act is a ransom, to assault, hurt, or oblige the victim to commit adultery or a crime.

6- If the crime is committed on a public employee during or due to their duties.

7- If the victim is a woman, a minor, a person of diminished capacity.

Capital punishment or life imprisonment shall be imposed if the crime leads to the death of the victim.

Article 319

Whoever, knowing that any person has been kidnapped or has been abducted, wrongfully conceals or confines such person, shall be punished, mutatis mutandis in the same manner as stipulated in the preceding Article, if he had kidnapped or abducted such person with the same intention or knowledge, or for the same purpose as that for which he conceals or detains such person in confinement.

Article 320

The kidnapper can be exempted from the penalty if he voluntarily surrenders to the competent authorities before they discover the place where the kidnap victim is being held, and guides the authorities to the said place, identifies the other offenders and leads to the release of the kidnap victim without any harm.

This exemption shall not apply if the abduction is related to any other delinquency.

Article 321

Whoever brings into or takes out of Qatar a person as a slave, or buys, sells, or donates a person as a slave, shall be liable to imprisonment of a term not exceeding seven years.

Whoever imports, exports, buys, sells, traffics, offers or gives as a gift or disposes of any person as a slave, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to seven years.

Article 322

Whoever forcibly, takes somebody to work with or without salary shall be liable to imprisonment of a term up to six months and a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3.000), or one of these two penalties.

If the victim is under sixteen years of age, the penalty shall be up to six years in prison and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR).

Violation of Residences and Properties of Others

Article 323

Whoever commits trespass by entering into residential premises, or at premises intended for residential purposes or annexes thereof or a place for custody of property, without the consent of the owner or is contrary to the stipulations of the law, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5.000QR), or one of these two penalties. The penalty shall not exceed five years if the crime happens at night through breaking, trespass, if the offender is armed, or the crime is committed by more than two people or the person assumes a fake identity or falsely claims to be performing a public duty.

Article 324

Whoever legally enters into or upon property in the possession of another and stays therein after executing the original purpose for which he entered, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year in prison and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5.000QR) or one of these two penalties.

Threatening

Article 325

Whoever threatens to hurt someone or to damage their wealth or reputation, or to hurt someone and distort the reputation or wealth of someone in whom they have a vested interest, whether the threat is orally or in writing or through acts intended to hurt someone or distort the reputation and wealth by coercing the victim to commit or omit an act, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years in prison and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (10.000QR), or one of these two penalties. The perpetuator shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years If the threats involve death threats.

Calumny, Defamation and Secret Disclosure

Article 326

Whoever, by accusing somebody of committing a legally punishable crime, or harms dignity or honor thereof or exposes him to public disdain and malice, is said to defame that person and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 327

Whoever defames a public employee because of their job or occupation, or if the offence damages the reputation of the family shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years in prison and a fine not exceeding twenty thousand Qatari Riyals (20.000QR) or one of these two penalties.

Nothing is defamation in the following cases:

1- If the accused can prove the occurrence of the incident and that it was attributed to a public employee and the incident is related to public service.

2- Informing in good faith the judicial or administrative authorities a matter rendering the doer thereof legally liable

3- Where the litigants' verbal or written defense before the law courts or investigation authorities includes libel or slander to the extent of the right of defense.

Article 328

Article 329

Whoever curses a third party in public through the use of improper words affecting their honor and dignity shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year in prison and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5.000QR).

Article 330

Whoever defames or insults the victim face to face and not in public, or by phone, or in a written letter, or in another indirect way shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months in prison and a fine not exceeding one thousand Riyals (1.000QR), or one of these two penalties.

Article 331

Whoever spreads news, photographs or comments related to a person's private life, or that of his family, even if true shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding a year in prison and a fine not exceeding five thousand Qatari Riyals (5.000QR), or one of these two penalties.

Article 332

Whoever, knowingly and illegally divulges a secret entrusted thereto in his official capacity, trade, profession in conditions other than those prescribed by the law or uses it for his personal benefit or for the benefit of another person, without the consent of the person concerned with the secret, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years in prison and/or a fine of no more ten thousand Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 333

Whoever illegally intrudes into another person's private life and without their consent through one of the following means, shall be punished by imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year in prison and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand Riyals (QR 5.000):

Opens a letter or telegram against the will of the addressee or eavesdrop on a telephone conversation.
Records or transmits conversations that take place in a private place or through any type of device.
Takes or transmits somebody's photographs or photographs of other persons in a private place using any type of device.

Part 3

Crimes Concerning Money

Robbery

Article 334

Whoever, intending to take any movable property out of the possession of any person without that person's consent, moves that property in order to such taking, is deemed to be a thief.

Article 335

Whoever commits theft;

at night;
if committed by at least two people;
if one of the culprits holds a seen or concealed weapon;
if committed at residential premises, or at premises intended for residential purposes or annexes thereof where entry is gained by trespass, break-in or use of duplicate keys against the will of their owner, or by wearing the uniform of a policeman or by assuming a false identity claiming it to be issued by competent authorities or by alleging to be a public servant, or colluding with one of the inhabitants or by such other illegal means.
if committed with the use of force or under the threat of using a weapon.

Article 336

Whoever committed theft on the highway or on any land, sea or air conveyance shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years in any of the following cases:

(1) if the Theft is committed by two persons or more of which one is carrying a weapon.

(2) if the Theft is committed by twp persons or more with the use of force.

(3) If the Theft is committed at night by a person carrying a weapon, with the use of force or threatening to use a weapon.

Article 337

Whoever committed theft in any of the following cases shall be punished by imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years:

if committed with the use of force or under the threat of using a weapon;
if the Theft is committed at night, by twp persons or more, one is carrying a seen or concealed weapon;
if the Theft is committed at night, at residential premises, by one persons is carrying a seen or concealed weapon;

Article 338

Whoever steals army or police weapons or ammunitions shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years, and if one of the aggravated circumstances stipulated in Article 336 exists, the imprisonment may be extended to a term not exceeding fifteen years (15).

Article 339

Whoever commits a theft, embezzles, steals, or purloins equipment facilities used or intended for use in telecommunications installed by the Government or conduction or generation of electricity facilities, water or sewers established or authorized to be established for a public utility one of the authorities stipulated in Article 4, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years. This term may be extended to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years if one of the aggravated circumstances stipulated in Article 336 exists.

Article 340

Whoever commits a theft in one of the following two cases shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years:

1- If it is committed at night;

2- If it is committed by a person holding a seen or concealed weapon.

Article 341

Whoever steals, embezzles, or purloins money from his employer shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years.

Article 342

Whoever steals, embezzles, or purloins during war or in times of public disasters shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years, and not exceeding ten years, if one of the two aggravated circumstances stipulated in Sub-article 337-1 exists

Article 343

Whoever steals, embezzles, or purloins in any one of the following cases, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years:

at a place intended for worship;
at residential premises, or at premises intended for residential purposes or annexes thereof;
on board any conveyance, at a terminal, seaport or airport;
by trespass, break-in, or with the use of original or duplicate keys against the will of their owner;
by a person who has assumed a false identity or alleged that he is undertaking or assigned to a public service.
by two persons or more.
By transportation workers when, in the line of their duty, delivering the things being transported.
against injured persons during wartime even if they are enemies

Article 344

Whoever commits a Theft, which does not involve any of the circumstances set forth in the above Articles, shall be punishable by a term not exceeding two years.

Article 345

Whoever illegally takes electrical energy or any other energy with an economic value shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Article 346

Whoever embezzles, steals, purloins, or knowingly converts to his use or the use of another, the telephone service or any other telecommunication services, or exploits, uses , transfers any of these services or any electric current used to conduct or transfer these services shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Article 347

Whoever illegally takes any conveyance or means of transportation without the consent of the owner or authorized user thereof, shall be liable for imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.

Article 348

Whoever knowingly and unlawfully makes, forges, or counterfeits any key, or makes a device for use in committing a crime, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year. The punishment shall be extended to a prison sentence not exceeding two years if the perpetuator is engaged in the profession of making such devices.

Article 349

Whoever eats or drinks at premises intended for this purpose, even though he is a resident thereat, or occupies one room or more at a hotel or similar premises, or hires a vehicle intended for rental, or gets a fuel therefore, in spite of his knowledge that he will not be able to pay the charges or unjustifiable refuses to pay the charges due in respect thereof, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand Riyals (QR 3.000).

Article 350

Whoever finds lost property but does not return it to the rightful owner, or to a police station within seven days of the date of finding the money, and retains it with the intention of keeping it whether at the time of finding or afterwards, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 3.000).

Article 351

Whoever acquires, with the use of force or menaces, a legal document with a signature thereon, receipt, quittance or a literary valuable document, a legal or social record , or compels a person by force or threat to sign, stamp or thumbprint thereof, shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years

Article 352

Whoever forces another with the use of threat, to deliver money or items by accusing or threatening them, or someone else, of committing a crime shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years. Where the crime subject of the threat involves death penalty or life imprisonment or honor, the penalty shall not exceed seven years in prison if the crime is the subject of accusation or threat.

In the application of the provisions of the foregoing two Paragraphs of this Article, the penalty for the attempted offence shall be the same as the punishment for the complete crime.

Article 353

The penalties for committing the felonies stipulated in this Chapter shall not exceed half of the maximum penalties for the full offences.

Fraud

Article 354

Whoever fraudulently or falsely personates another, and in such assumed character, seizes for themselves or others, movable assets, debt receipt, or cancels, spoils or modifies this bond by using fraudulent means, assuming a false name or a fake character in a way to delude the victim shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.

Article 355

Whoever dishonestly or fraudulently disposes of a movable or immovable property which they have already disposed of, without having the right to do so shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years.

Article 356

Whoever exploits a minor's passion, need or lack of experience and orders him to get movable assets, debts or bond, or to cancel, spoil or modify this bond in order to harm them or someone else shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand ( 10.000) Qatari Riyals.

Shall be considered a minor the child taken into custody or guardianship.

The penalty shall not exceed five years in prison if the offender is a guardian, caretaker or keeper of the victim pursuant to the law or to a judgment or agreement.

Article 357

Whoever maliciously commits the following acts:

Writing a check, without sufficient funds to cover it face value.
Withdrawing all or some of the funds from an account after giving a check in a way that leaves insufficient funds to cover the amount of the check.
Ordering the recipient of the check not to exchange or deposit it
Intending to write or sign the check in a way that prevents its exchange.
Delivering a due cheque knowing that it is uncovered or not exchangeable.

In any event, the court shall decide upon the request of the concerned, to oblige the offender to pay the value of the cheque and the expenses incurred by the beneficiary;

hall be punished with imprisonment for a term of no less than three months and not exceeding three years and/or a fine of no less than three thousand (QR 3.000) Qatari Riyals and not exceeding ten thousand (QR 10.000) Qatari Riyals.

The procedures in the Code of Commercial and Civil Procedure shall determine the execution of this judgment. If the court finds that this decision requires a special investigation necessitating a delay in the judgment, it has the right to pronounce a judgment in the lawsuit only and to defer the examination of the mentioned request to another session or refer it to the civil court.

Article 358

Whoever issues a cheque in the absence of a covered or exchangeable check or the presence of an amount of money that is less than the value of the account, shall be liable to pay a fine not exceeding one hundred thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 100.000)

Article 359

For the offences stipulated in Article 357 of the present Law, the victim and the attorney have the right to ask the Prosecution or the Court given the nature the case, to settle the case with the offender. The reconciliation requires the closing of the case.

The prosecution shall stop the execution of the penalty if reconciliation occurs during the execution of the penalty, even after the passing of the judgment

Article 360

Whoever fraudulently gets, for themselves or others, a passport, a license or any instrument issued by a public official shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand Qatari Riyals (QR 10.000).

Article 361

The penalty for the felonies stipulated in this Chapter shall not exceed half of the penalty for the full offence.

Breach of Trust

Article 362

Whoever, being in any manner entrusted with property, bonds or other movable properties, dishonestly misappropriates or converts to his own use that property, or dishonestly uses or disposes of that property in violation of any direction of law prescribing the mode in which such trust, rent, mortgage or a power of attorney, in a manner that is detrimental to the owners thereof, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding ten thousand (QR 10.000) Riyals.

Article 363

Whoever, knowingly possesses property received by mistake shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years and/or a fine not exceeding five thousand (QR 5.000) Riyals or one of these two penalties.

Article 364

Whoever, with intent to defraud, knowingly converts to his own use, any movable property mortgaged or pledged to guarantee a debt due to himself or to any other, shall be liable to the penalty stipulated in the preceding Article.

Article 365

Whoever being an owner assigned as an official receiver, guardian or trustee of movable property that is seized judicially or executively shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years and/or a fine not exceeding ten thousand (QR 10.000) Riyals.

Article 366

The penalty for the offences stipulated in this Chapter shall not exceed half of the penalty for the consummated offence.

Hiding Crime Proceeds

Article 367

Whoever, knowingly has in his possession or conceals objects taken from a crime scene, without being an accomplice, shall be liable for conviction of the crime of knowing that the objects are collected from a crime scene and shall receive the penalty prescribed for the offender.

If the perpetrator does not know that the objects are collected from a crime scene but thinks they are obtained in an illegal way, he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months and/or a fine not exceeding three thousand (QR 3.000) Riyals.

Article 368

The aforesaid perpetrator shall be exempted from the penalty if he informs the competent authorities of the crime from which the objects were collected and of the perpetrators before the crime is discovered.

If the offender informs the authorities after exposure of the crime, the court has the right to exempt the offender from the penalty whenever the information leads to the arrest of the offenders.

Article 369

Any person who commits any of the offences stipulated in this Chapter and the previous three Chapters shall only be prosecuted pursuant to the complaint of the victim.