Adultery and gay sex in Brunei will be subject to death by stoning from next week, authorities said, under a strict Sharia law that has been on hold for four years amid heavy criticism.

Rights groups reacted in horror Wednesday to the latest hardline move from the resource-rich nation on Borneo, which practises a stricter brand of Islam than its neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia.

The tiny sultanate will implement the harsh new penal code -- which also prescribes amputation of a hand and foot for theft -- next Wednesday.

Homosexuality is already illegal in Brunei but it will now become a capital offence. The law only applies to Muslims.

The new penalty for theft is amputation of the right hand for a first offence, and the left foot for a second offence.

Amnesty International Wednesday urged Brunei to “immediately halt” implementing the new penalties.

“To legalise such cruel and inhuman penalties is appalling of itself,” Brunei researcher Rachel Chhoa-Howard said in a statement.

“Some of the potential ‘offences’ should not even be deemed crimes at all, including consensual sex between adults of the same gender.”

A notice on Brunei’s Attorney General’s Chambers dated December 29 last year said the provisions will take effect on April 3.

Brunei first announced the measures in 2013 but implementation has been delayed as officials worked out the practical details and in the teeth of opposition by rights groups.

However, a spokesman for the Brunei religious affairs ministry Wednesday said only that Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was expected to make an announcement on April 3 regarding the implementation of the new Sharia laws.

“Only after the event we will know regarding the date of the implementation of the new laws,” he told AFP Wednesday.

“In terms of readiness, at the moment we are prepared to enforce the amputation of the hand for stealing only. That is all.”

Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch warned that implementation of the law “will quickly drive the country towards human rights pariah status in the eyes of foreign investors, tourists, and international agencies”.

He added: “If this ill-considered plan goes forward, there is every reason to believe the global boycott Brunei movement will re-start.”

Robertson said Brunei will become the only country in Southeast Asia to punish gay sex with death if it pushes through with the law.

Under a shift towards hardline Islamic law, Brunei in 2015 banned excessive Christmas celebrations for fear that Muslims could be led astray.

Brunei’s Sultan is no stranger to controversy at home -- the monarchy was deeply embarrassed by a family feud with his brother Jefri over the latter’s alleged embezzlement of $15 billion during his tenure as finance minister in the 1990s.

Court battles and investigations revealed salacious details of Jefri’s un-Islamic jetset lifestyle, including claims of a high-priced harem of foreign women and a luxury yacht he owned called “Tits”. </s> The tiny oil-rich nation of Brunei is set to institute new Sharia laws which include stoning to death homosexuals and amputations for theft.

Under current law in Muslim-majority Brunei, homosexuality is punishable by up to ten years in prison.

But, starting in April, the government plans to amend the penal code to provide that LGBT people and adulterers could be stoned to death.

The new penalty for theft is amputation of the right hand for a first offense, and the left foot for a second offense.

The new penalties, which also apply to children, are in new sections under Brunei’s Sharia Penal Code and will come into effect April 3, Amnesty International said in a statement.

Under secular laws, Brunei already prescribes caning as a penalty for crimes including immigration offenses, for which convicts can be flogged with a rattan cane.

In 2014, Brunei became the first East Asian country to introduce Islamic criminal law when it adopted fines or jail for offenses such as pregnancy outside marriage or failing to pray on Friday.

In 2015, Brunei banned excessive Christmas celebrations for fear that Muslims could be led astray.

Since 1967, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has ruled Brunei as head of state with full executive authority. Public criticism of his policies is extremely rare.

Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Brunei researcher at Amnesty International, said some of the potential offenses under the amended penal code “should not even be deemed crimes at all, including consensual sex between adults of the same gender. To legalize such cruel and inhuman penalties is appalling of itself. Brunei must immediately halt its plans to implement these vicious punishments and revise its penal code in compliance with its human rights obligations. The international community must urgently condemn Brunei’s move to put these cruel penalties into practice.”

Brunei, a former British protectorate of about 400,000 on Borneo island, is the first country in east Asia to adopt the criminal component of sharia at a national level.

“The full implementation of sharia penal law will apply severe penalties against consensual same-sex relations, including death penalty via stoning,” said Ryan Silverio, a coordinator at ASEAN SOGIE Caucus.

Dede Oetomo, one of Indonesia’s most prominent LGBT activists, said it would be a gross violation of international human rights if the changes went ahead. “It is horrible. Brunei is imitating the most conservative Arab states,” he said.

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Login To Your FaceBook to Make Comments </s> BRUNEI — A new law which comes into effect from next week will punish homosexual sex and adultery with death in the small southeast Asian kingdom of Brunei.

Beginning on April 3, any individuals found guilty of the offenses will be stoned to death, according to a new penal code. The punishment will be “witnessed by a group of Muslims.”

The country’s strict new laws were announced in 2014, and have been rolled out gradually. The latest phase of implementation, including the brutal new provisions, was quietly announced on the Brunei attorney general’s website on December 29, 2018.

Human rights groups were quick to express horror at the penal code, which will also order amputation as a punishment for theft.

“Brunei must immediately halt its plans to implement these vicious punishments, and revise its Penal Code in compliance with its human rights obligations. The international community must urgently condemn Brunei’s move to put these cruel penalties into practice,” Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Brunei Researcher at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

There was a broad international outcry when Brunei became the first country in the region to adopt sharia law in 2014, an Islamic legal system which outlines strict corporal punishments.

The tiny, oil-rich kingdom of just over 450,000 people is located on the island of Borneo, close to moderate Islamic nations of Indonesia and Malaysia.

In comparison to its neighbors, Brunei has grown conservative in recent years, including banning the sale of alcohol.

The new penal code was announced in May 2014, by the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who also acts as the country’s prime minister. In announcing the change, government’s website quoted the Sultan saying that his government “does not expect other people to accept and agree with it, but that it would suffice if they just respect the nation in the same way that it also respects them.” </s> The sultan of Brunei announced Sunday a suspension on a death penalty punishment for gay sex, after facing an international uproar over the new law.

The announcement came during a TV broadcast with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. He agreed to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture and extend a moratorium on the death penalty, CNN reported.

The law making gay sex or adultery punishable by whipping or stoning to death is part of several statutes that took effect April 3 in the tiny, oil-rich Southeast Asian country to enact Sharia law.

This is the second time the sultan has backed down from enacting parts of Sharia law because of public outcry. The new penal code was originally announced in 2013, but protests pushed Brunei to delay its actual enactment until April 2019, The New York Times reported.

The harsh penalties enacted in April propelled the small sultanate into the international spotlight again, prompting celebrities like Elton John and George Clooney to urge the boycott of Brunei’s luxury hotel properties, which include The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles and The Dorchester in London.

Gay sex no longer carries capital punishment, however, homosexuality is still illegal in Brunei and punishable by jail and whippings. It is not known how long the moratorium on capital punishment will last.

Bolkiah, 72, rules with full executive authority and has supported the monarchy’s adoption of a more conservative Islamic culture, including a ban on alcohol sales, according to CNN.

Approximately three-fourths of Brunei’s 450,000 citizens are Muslim, with Christians and Buddhists making up most of the remainder, according to the CIA’s World Factbook.

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Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected] </s> (CNN) — A new law which comes into effect from next week will punish homosexual sex and adultery with death in the small southeast Asian kingdom of Brunei.

Beginning on April 3, any individuals found guilty of the offenses will be stoned to death, according to a new penal code. The punishment will be “witnessed by a group of Muslims.”

The country’s strict new laws were announced in 2014, and have been rolled out gradually. The latest phase of implementation, including the brutal new provisions, was quietly announced on the Brunei attorney general’s website on December 29, 2018.

Human rights groups were quick to express horror at the penal code, which will also order amputation as a punishment for theft.

“Brunei must immediately halt its plans to implement these vicious punishments, and revise its Penal Code in compliance with its human rights obligations. The international community must urgently condemn Brunei’s move to put these cruel penalties into practice,” Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Brunei Researcher at Amnesty International, said in a statement.

There was a broad international outcry when in 2014 Brunei became the first country in the region to adopt Sharia law, an Islamic legal system which outlines strict corporal punishments.

With more international pressure, the small nation said it has no plans to halt the law.

A new statement from the office of Brunei’s Prime Minister says the country has “always been practicing a dual legal system, one that is based on the Syariah (Shariah) Law and the other on Common Law.”

The two systems will run in parallel starting April 3, the statement said, and will “maintain peace and order and preserve religion, life, family and individuals regardless of gender, nationality, race and faith.”

“The Syariah Law, apart from criminalizing and deterring acts that are against the teachings of Islam, it also aims to educate, respect and protect the legitimate rights of all individuals, society or nationality of any faiths and race.”

The tiny, oil-rich kingdom of just over 450,000 people is located on the island of Borneo, close to moderate Islamic nations of Indonesia and Malaysia.

In comparison to its neighbors, Brunei has grown conservative in recent years, including banning the sale of alcohol.

The new penal code was announced in May 2014, by the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who also acts as the country’s prime minister. In announcing the change, government’s website quoted the Sultan saying that his government “does not expect other people to accept and agree with it, but that it would suffice if they just respect the nation in the same way that it also respects them.”

On March 28, George Clooney called for a boycott of the nine hotels linked to Brunei — three of which are in the UK, two in the US, two in France and two in Italy.

They include the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Bel-Air in Los Angeles, the Dorchester in London and Le Meurice in Paris.

“Are we really going to help pay for these human rights violations? Are we really going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens?” he wrote.

Other world leaders have followed in denouncing the country’s harsh practices and stood by the LGBT community.

He said on Twitter: “I call on the Sultanate of Brunei to withdraw the death penalty by stoning f homosexual acts between consenting adults. The same goes for other countries which have the same cruel & inhuman laws. No one should be criminalized based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The UK’s Secretary of State for International Development Penny Mordaunt said “No one should face the death penalty because of who they love. Brunei’s decision is barbaric and the UK stands with the LGBT+ community and those who defend their rights. LGBT+ rights are human rights.”

And Former Vice President Joe Biden commented on the new law saying it was “appalling and immoral.”

“Every single person on earth is entitled to be treated with dignity and to live without fear,” he said on Twitter. “There is no excuse — not culture, not tradition — for this kind of hate and inhumanity.” </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption The speech is the first time Brunei's ruler has responded to global pressure over the new laws

Brunei has backtracked on enforcing laws introduced last month that would have made sex between men and adultery punishable by stoning to death.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Sunday extended a moratorium on the death penalty to cover the new legislation.

The rethink follows global outcry over the laws, including boycotts and celebrity protests.

While still on the statute books for some crimes, no executions have been carried out in Brunei since 1957.

Last month Brunei rolled out a strict new interpretation of Islamic laws, or Sharia.

In a speech, the sultan said he was aware there had been "many questions and misperceptions" regarding the implementation of the legislation, called Syariah Penal Code Order (SPCO).

While saying that a moratorium on the death penalty would be applied to the SPCO he also defended the new rules, saying their "merit" would become clear.

The speech marks the first time the country's ruler has spoken publicly about the legislation since their introduction.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said she was "delighted the death penalty has been removed and that the de facto moratorium which has been in place for more than two decades, will also cover the SPCO".

Homosexuality was already illegal in Brunei and punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Muslims make up about two-thirds of the country's population of 420,000.

What are the laws?

The small South-East Asian nation first introduced Sharia law in 2014, giving it a dual legal system with both Sharia and Common Law.

The first phase covered crimes punishable by prison sentences and fines.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "As a kid... we were taught the stones should not be too big"

The laws introduced on 3 April marked the next phase of the legislation, and covered crimes punishable by amputation and stoning.

Under the legislation:

Offences such as rape, adultery, sodomy, robbery and insult or defamation of the Prophet Muhammad carry the maximum penalty of death

Lesbian sex carries a different penalty of 40 strokes of the cane and/or a maximum of 10 years in jail

The punishment for theft is amputation

Those who "persuade, tell or encourage" Muslim children under the age of 18 "to accept the teachings of religions other than Islam" are liable to a fine or jail

Individuals who have not reached puberty but are convicted of certain offences may be instead subjected to whipping.

What was the reaction?

The laws sparked international outrage, throwing the tiny South-East Asian nation into the global spotlight.

Ahead of their implementation, the UN warned that the laws contravened international human rights standards set out in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights - which was ratified by Brunei in 2006.

Celebrities including George Clooney and Elton John called for a boycott of luxury hotels with links to Brunei over the legislation.

Mr Clooney said the new laws amounted to "human rights violations".

Many in Brunei's gay community expressed shock and fear at the punishments. </s> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Brunei’s sultan has said a moratorium on capital punishment is in effect for new Shariah criminal laws including stoning people for gay sex and adultery that sparked an international outcry.

The United Nations has called the laws implemented April 3 “draconian” while the U.S. and several other countries have urged Brunei to halt its plans. Celebrities including George Clooney, Elton John and Ellen DeGeneres have rallied for a boycott of nine hotels in the U.S. and Europe linked to Brunei.

Even before 2014, homosexuality was already punishable in Brunei by a jail term of up to 10 years. The new laws say those found guilty of gay sex can be stoned to death or whipped. Adulterers risk death by stoning too, while thieves face amputation of a right hand on their first offence and a left foot on their second. The new laws apply to children and foreigners, even if they are not Muslim.

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said Sunday in a speech to mark the start of Ramadan that he was aware of the “many questions and misperceptions” over the penalties provided for under new sections of Brunei’s Shariah Penal Code, but stressed that there should be no fear.

Brunei has had a “de facto moratorium” on capital punishment for over two decades and “this will also be applied to cases under the (Shariah laws) which provides a wider scope for remission,” he said. The announcement came as a surprise but appeared aimed at deflecting criticism that Islamic criminal laws are cruel. </s> Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Sunday extended a moratorium on the death penalty to incoming legislation prohibiting gay sex, seeking to temper a global backlash led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John.

The small Southeast Asian country sparked an outcry when it rolled out its interpretation of Islamic laws, or sharia, on April 3, punishing sodomy, adultery and rape with death, including by stoning.

Brunei has consistently defended its right to implement the laws, elements of which were first adopted in 2014 and which have been rolled out in phases since then.

Read also: People in Brunei who engage in gay sex and adultery can be stoned to death under a new law

However, in a rare response to criticism aimed at the oil-rich state, the sultan said the death penalty would not be imposed in the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code Order (SPCO).

Some crimes already command the death penalty in Brunei, including premeditated murder and drug trafficking, but no executions have been carried out since 1957.

“I am aware that there are many questions and misperceptions with regard to the implementation of the SPCO. However, we believe that once these have been cleared, the merit of the law will be evident,” the sultan said in a speech ahead of the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

“As evident for more than two decades, we have practiced a de facto moratorium on the execution of death penalty for cases under the common law. This will also be applied to cases under the SPCO which provides a wider scope for remission.”

Read also: Brunei said people shouldn’t criticize its new law punishing being gay with death by stoning, because it will probably never use it

“Step into right direction, but definitely not enough,” tweeted Renate Künast, a former German cabinet minister and a member of the Green Party.

Tom Knight, a columnist for Gay Times Magazine, described it as “fantastic news” but urged caution.

Read also: The sultan of Brunei enacted new laws punishing homosexuality with death by stoning to clean up his image as a big-spending playboy, critics say

“The power of activism can help create change, but the fight isn’t over. These laws need to be repealed, not just unenforced,” Knight tweeted.

The vastly wealthy sultan, who once piloted his own 747 airliner to meet former US president Barack Obama, often faces criticism from activists who view his absolute monarchy as despotic, but it is unusual for him to respond.

The sultan’s office released an official English translation of his speech, which is not common practice.

“Both the common law and the Syariah law aim to ensure peace and harmony of the country,” he said.

“They are also crucial in protecting the morality and decency of the country as well as the privacy of individuals.”

Read also: Here’s a list of everyone who is boycotting or cutting ties with Brunei after it introduced new laws to punish homosexuality with death by stoning

The law’s implementation, which the United Nations condemned, prompted celebrities and rights groups to seek a boycott on hotels owned by the sultan, including the Dorchester in London and the Beverley Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

Several multinational companies have since put a ban on staff using the sultan’s hotels, while some travel companies have stopped promoting Brunei as a tourist destination.

Read also: Inside the surreal capital city of Brunei, a tiny nation of unimaginable wealth where oil money pays for everything and half the population lives in a floating ‘water village’ </s> Even amid a global backlash, Brunei has defended the use of Islamic laws that punish offenders with controversial methods, saying they are in place to "educate" and protect Islam.

Brunei, a small oil-rich country of 400,000 near the South China Sea, will start implementing Sharia laws on April 3, punishing those who engage in homosexuality or adultery by death. They would also punish sodomy, adultery and rape with death by stoning, and theft with amputation.

The laws have been rolling out in different phases since 2014 and will be fully implemented next week, according to a statement on Saturday from the prime minister's office.

BRUNEI DEEMS GAY SEX AND ADULTERY PUNISHABLE WITH DEATH BY STONING

Sharia law, apart from criminalizing and deterring acts that are against the teachings of Islam, "also aims to educate, respect and protect the legitimate rights of all individuals, society or nationality of any faiths and race,” the statement said, per Reuters.

Hollywood icon George Clooney recently spoke out against the harsh penalties for homosexuality, urging a boycott of the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel because its owner is Brunei's leader.

The sultan of Brunei, 72, has stayed in power for nearly 52 years, as the country does not hold elections. Forbes and Time have previously ranked the sultan as one of the wealthiest royals in the world.

“Brunei will begin stoning and whipping to death any of its citizens that are proved to be gay. Let that sink in,” Clooney wrote in Deadline. “Every single time we stay or take meetings at or dine at any of these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery.”

Politicians such as Joe Biden have also spoken out against these Islamic laws and the decision by Brunei to impose them.

BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL BRACES FOR FRESH CELEBRITY BOYCOTT AFTER GEORGE CLOONEY CRITICIZES SULTAN OF BRUNEI OWNER FOR SHARIA LAW

“Stoning people to death for homosexuality or adultery is appalling and immoral,” former Vice President Biden said in a Twitter post on Friday. “There is no excuse -- not culture, not tradition - for this kind of hate and inhumanity.”
Brunei defends its decision, despite global criticism, to implement laws that can punish homosexuality, adultery and rape with the death penalty, including by stoning, and theft with amputation, as of Wednesday, April 3, 2019.