Can a cybercrime case be settled with the complainant?

The Cybercrime Law has no reconciliation provision. Under the Criminal Procedure Code, withdrawing a complaint ends the case before a final judgment, but only for offences that need a complaint (Articles 3 and 10). Ask us how this applies to your case.

Can a cybercrime case affect my residency?

It can. On conviction, the court may order a non-Qatari to be deported (Cybercrime Law, Art. 52), and the Public Prosecution or the court may order a travel ban while the case is open.

Someone is blackmailing me with my photos. What should I do?

Don't pay and don't negotiate. Keep the messages and the account details, and don't send the photos to anyone. Threats and blackmail through the network carry up to three years' imprisonment and/or a QAR 100,000 fine (Cybercrime Law, Art. 9). Reports go to the Ministry of Interior's Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department.

Do I need a lawyer when the cyber crimes department calls me in?

You can attend without one. A lawyer can find out what the complaint is about before you go, attend with you, and check your statement before you sign it.

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Criminal defence
Cybercrime
Doha

Cybercrime lawyer in Qatar, for the accused and for victims.

Summoned over a message or a post, blackmailed with photos, or scammed online? Send us the details, and we'll explain where you stand under Qatar's Cybercrime Prevention Law before you give a statement or decide on a complaint.

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Your first message commits you to nothing. Confidential.

Faysel Al-Mohannadi replies to you himself, within the hour in working hours.

Don't delete anything. Keep the screenshots and the original messages.

Admitted before the Court of Cassation
Confidential

Cybercrime cases we handle

Insult and defamation online
Messages, posts, comments and voice notes on apps such as WhatsApp, X, Instagram and Snapchat (Cybercrime Law, Art. 8).
Private life and photos
Publishing photos, recordings or news about someone's private or family life, even if true (Art. 8), and photos or videos of people in public places without their knowledge or consent (Art. 8 bis, added in 2025).
Threats and blackmail
Using the network to threaten someone into doing, or not doing, something, including threats to publish photos or chats (Art. 9).
Harassing messages
Harassing or disturbing others, or indecent words, by phone or electronic means (Penal Code, Art. 293).
Online fraud and impersonation
Fake accounts in a person's or a company's name, and obtaining money, a document or a signature by deception (Art. 11).
Bank card data
Obtaining or using someone's card numbers or data online without right (Art. 12).
Hacking
Accessing a website, system or network without right, going beyond the access you were given, or staying in after realising it (Art. 3).
False news
Spreading false news intended to endanger the State's safety or public order (Art. 6; Penal Code, Art. 136 bis).
Not listed here?Send it anyway, and we'll tell you plainly whether we can help.
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If a complaint has been made against you

Usually you must attend if you're summoned. Before you go:

Don't delete anything
Keep posts, chats and accounts as they are, don't wipe or reset your phone, and keep a copy for your lawyer.
Don't contact the complainant
Not directly and not through others, and don't post about the case.
Write it down
What was posted or sent, when, from which account and to whom.
Speak to a lawyer first
Before you give a statement or sign a record. At the Public Prosecution, your lawyer is normally allowed to see the investigation file at least a day before you're questioned, unless the prosecutor decides otherwise, and can't be separated from you during questioning (Criminal Procedure Code, Art. 102).
If your phone or passwords are requested
The Public Prosecution can order a search of persons, places and information systems, and the handover of devices and data (Cybercrime Law, Arts. 14 and 18). Tell us straight away if this happens.

If you're the victim

Whether or not you decide to report, protect your position first:

Don't reply, don't pay
Don't reply in kind, and don't pay anything under threat. If money has left your account, call your bank at once.
Keep the evidence
Take screenshots that show the account name, number or link, the date and the content, and keep the original messages.
Don't forward it
Don't send the offensive content or private photos to anyone else. Give them only to the authorities.
Mind the time
Some offences can only be prosecuted on the victim's complaint, made within 30 days of learning of the offence and who committed it (Criminal Procedure Code, Art. 7). Whether this applies to an online offence depends on the text used, so don't leave it late.
Where reports go
The Ministry of Interior's Economic and Cyber Crimes Combating Department: the Metrash app, phone 2347444, hotline 66815757 or cccc@moi.gov.qa (Ministry announcement, June 2025). A complaint can also go to the Public Prosecution (Criminal Procedure Code, Art. 3).

You may also claim compensation as a civil claimant, during the investigation or at trial until pleadings close, but not for the first time on appeal (Criminal Procedure Code, Art. 19). We explain the options plainly. Whether to go ahead is your decision.

How a cybercrime case moves, and what we do at each stage

Report or summons
What we doAccused: we find out which post or message the complaint is about and which text it relies on. Victim: we put the evidence in order and, if you decide to report, prepare the report for the right authority.
Cyber crimes department
What we doWe attend with you and check the record matches your words before you sign.
Public Prosecution
What we doWe read the investigation file and review the digital evidence: which account, which device, which dates, and who had access to them. Where the case turns on that data, we ask for a technical expert.
First instance
What we doWe argue the facts, which text applies (the Cybercrime Law or the Penal Code), and the sentence.
Appeal
What we do15 days from a judgment given in your presence (Criminal Procedure Code, Art. 276). We review the judgment and challenge conviction and sentence where there are grounds.
Cassation
What we do60 days (Criminal Procedure Code, Art. 291). The grounds must be signed by a lawyer admitted before the Court of Cassation.

What's at stake

Most offences under Qatar's Cybercrime Law carry up to three years' imprisonment, a fine, or both. The court also confiscates the devices used (Art. 53) and may order a non-Qatari to be deported (Art. 52), so take advice before you give a statement.

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What the law says

This page relies on the Cybercrime Prevention Law (Law No. 14 of 2014, amended by Law No. 11 of 2025), Articles 3, 6, 8, 8 bis, 9, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 21, 52 and 53; the Penal Code, Articles 136 bis and 293; and the Criminal Procedure Code, Articles 3, 7, 10, 19, 102, 276 and 291. Texts checked on Al Meezan on 21 October 2026.

Read on Al Meezan The full list of offences and penalties: What counts as a cybercrime in Qatar?

Questions people ask about cybercrime cases

No. Deleting doesn't withdraw a complaint, and the Public Prosecution can order electronic data to be collected and recorded at once (Cybercrime Law, Art. 17). Service providers also keep subscriber information for a year (Art. 21). Keep a copy and take advice.

Tell me what happened online. I'll say plainly where you stand.