ABU DHABI // People convicted of terrorism could soon face the death sentence or life in jail under a draft law to be discussed by the FNC in a special session on July 21.

The draft was sent to the FNC by the Cabinet before the last session in June, so there was no time to debate it then, Ahmed Al Zaabi (Sharjah), head of the legislative and legal affairs committee, said on Monday.

The committee has already met twice and will be holding several more meetings before the extraordinary session, for which FNC members will reconvene in the middle of the summer break.

“Today the issue of terrorism is important and the old 2004 law does not cover all the fields,” Mr Al Zaabi said.

A draft copy of the legislation outlines some of the penalties. It says anyone convicted of attacking or endangering the life of the President, Vice President or any of the Rulers and their families could face the death sentence.

Anyone who starts, runs or manages a secret organisation faces a death penalty or life sentence.

Those found guilty of stating their opposition to the Government face at least 10 years in jail, while those who commit any act that threatens the security or safety of the country, or attempts a coup, will face death or a life sentence.

The draft law is also expected to confront human trafficking and kidnapping, financing and campaigning for terror groups.

Those convicted of kidnapping a person or holding them hostage for a terrorist purpose will be jailed for life or no less than seven years, depending on the severity of the case.

“Human trafficking was not included in the crimes of terrorism [in the old law],” said Mr Al Zaabi. “The new law will be a deterrent.

“There are organisations that are well known but there are some that are unknown, so we hope this law covers all of these things.”

Under the terrorism part of the legislation, anyone who knows about a plot to destabilise the country but does not report it to authorities faces 10 years in jail.

Mr Al Zaabi said terrorism was constantly evolving and laws must keep pace with it.

If someone is convicted of hijacking an airliner or ship, they face life in jail.

This becomes a death sentence if it results in the injury or death of a person, or if the hijacker resists rescuers by force.

Anyone found guilty of reporting a non-existent terror plot faces a minimum of five years, if the intention was to engender panic and terror among the public.

Those who carry around mock explosives or bombs in public will be sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison.

“In 10 years, new methods of terrorism came up and the methods to deal with them are different,” said Mr Al Zaabi. “We hope the law sees light soon.”

The bill will be debated by the FNC, then sent to the Cabinet for consideration. It will then require the approval of the President, Sheikh Khalifa, before it becomes law.

hdajani@thenational.ae