The Legal and Judicial Studies Centre at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) organised a legal educational workshop for members of the Doha Youth Center on cybercrime, its risks, nature, and the procedures followed in case of exposure to it, as part of the summer activities organized by the Doha Youth Center.
Presented by head of legal awareness department at the Center of Legal and Judicial Studies (CLJS) Zainab Al Yafei, the legal workshop addressed the crime of online slander and defamation, referring to the consequences of the rapid technological development that is witnessed, including the emergence of new patterns of cybercrime as a result of the negative use of the internet and social media platforms - the most prominent of which was the crime of online slander and defamation.
The workshop enabled the students to define the crime of online slander and defamation, through the reasons for using the online network, and knowing the causes of the spread of online crimes, its parties, and the means of committing it.
Al Yafei explained the crime of online slander and defamation in Qatari law, noting that Cybercrime Prevention Law No. 14 of 2014 defines cybercrime as any act involving an unlawful use of an information technology technique, an information system or the internet legally, in violation of the provisions of this law, while the Penal Code also defined slander and defamation in Articles No. 236 and No. 329.
Al Yafei pointed out that, according to Qatari Law, the penalty of the crime of online slander and defamation is "a sentence of not more than three years imprisonment and a fine of not more than QR 100,000 or either of these penalties."
During the legal workshop, Al Yafei drew attention to the procedures followed upon the occurrence of the crime of online slander and defamation, foremost of which is proving the crime that occurred by keeping an evidence (photo, witness, etc.), and resorting to a trusted family member if the offender does not stop practicing slander and defamation, in addition to informing the competent authorities represented by the cybercrime center at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Interior.
The workshop also included live presentations of issues related to the crime of defamation, to educate students about the dangers of this crime and its various legal dimensions
