The suspects in the secret society case were referred to the court on charge of violating the UAE Penal Code’s Law No. 3 issued in 1987 and its amendments in accordance with the Articles 117, 180 and 182.
Article 117 states that if a person has been sentenced to life or a term of imprisonment for a felony violating the state’s internal or external security, he must be put under surveillance for a period not exceeding five years. When the court issues a ruling for a felony and imposes a penalty that restricts freedom for a period exceeding one year, it may put the convict under surveillance for a period not exceeding five years and not beyond the period of the penalty.
Article 180 states that whoever establishes, founds, organises or manages an association, organisation, formation, group, gang or a branch of one of these regardless of its denomination or form that aims at calling to overthrow or take over the system of government, disrupting the application of the constitution or provisions of law, fight the fundamental principles on which is based the governing system in the state, prevent one of the state organisations or one of the public authorities from performing their duties, violate personal freedom of citizens or any other public liberties or rights protected by the constitution or the laws, or jeopardise national unity or social peace, can be sentenced to imprisonment for a period ranging from 3-15 years.
Whoever joins one of the associations, organisations or formations provided for in the first paragraph of this Article or cooperates or participates with it in any manner whatsoever, or provides it with financial or material assistance, despite his being aware of its objectives, shall be sentenced up to 10 years in jail.
Article 182 states that a court must issue a decision to ban or dissolve or disband all forms of the aforementioned organisations mentioned in Article 180. The court should also issue a ruling seizing all assets including belongings and money that are used in the violations or found in the location where the aforementioned bodies held their meetings.
Any suspect who abuses religion to promote verbally or in writing or by other means ideas that create discrimination or sedition in the country, or any thoughts that harm national unity or social security faces no more than 10 years in jail.
Any individual who knows about the execution of any of the aforementioned crimes and does not report it to the authorities will be imprisoned. The court has the right to pardon the suspect’s relatives and son-in-laws within four degrees of consanguinity from this penalty.
