Calls for Deterrent Legislation Against Cyberbullying

Lawyer Fouziya Saleh Al-Obaidly gave a detailed comment in an Al Sharq report on cyberbullying and the calls for deterrent legislation to confront it.

Al-Obaidly affirmed that the Qatari legislator has given this phenomenon serious attention, explaining that insulting or defaming others through information networks is a crime punishable by law, citing Article 8 of the Cybercrime Law No. 14 of 2014, with penalties of up to three years' imprisonment and a fine of one hundred thousand riyals.

She cautioned that those who abuse social media believing they are safe behind screens are mistaken — the authorities can identify an account holder even behind a fake name once the victim reports the abuse, and Qatari courts are actively hearing many online threat and abuse cases.