George Clooney Vows to Keep Up Pressure on Brunei over Gay-sex Death Penalty

THE GUARDIAN: Actor calls for sustained commercial boycott after Brunei puts moratorium on death penalty for gay sex

George Clooney has promised to keep up pressure on Brunei after the oil-rich country’s sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, announced it would not enforce the death penalty for gay sex.

Gay sex remains illegal in Brunei, punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Clooney said the moratorium on executions was a “huge step forward after a giant leap backwards”, but that “the law to stone their citizens is still in place”. He added: “For my family and me, we simply can’t walk away until this draconian law is no longer on the books.” » | Andrew Pulver | Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Brunei Says It Will Not Enforce Gay Sex Death Penalty after Backlash

THE GUARDIAN: Sultan extends moratorium to death by stoning law in rare response to global criticism

Brunei’s Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, has extended a moratorium on the death penalty to incoming legislation on punishments for gay sex, after a global backlash led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John.

The country provoked an outcry when it rolled out its interpretation of Islamic laws, or sharia, on 3 April, 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.

However, in a rare response to criticism aimed at the oil-rich state, the sultan said on Sunday that the death penalty would not be enforced in the implementation of the sharia penal code order (SPCO). » | Reuters | Sunday, May 5, 2019

Brunei Defends Death by Stoning for Gay Sex in Letter to EU

THE GUARDIAN: Kingdom’s mission to bloc calls for tolerance and understanding over penal code

Brunei has written to the European parliament defending its decision to start imposing death by stoning as a punishment for gay sex, claiming convictions will be rare as it requires two men of “high moral standing and piety” to be witnesses.

In a four-page letter to MEPs, the kingdom’s mission to the EU called for “tolerance, respect and understanding” with regard to the country’s desire to preserve its traditional values and “family lineage”.

The new penal code, which also provides for the amputation of thieves and whipping of people wearing clothes associated with the opposite sex, was brought in on 3 April, despite international condemnation.

But in the letter, the kingdom claimed the outcry is due to a misconception that it wanted to clarify.

“The criminalisation of adultery and sodomy is to safeguard the sanctity of family lineage and marriage to individual Muslims, particularly women,” it said.

“The penal sentences of had – stoning to death and amputation – imposed for offences of theft, robbery, adultery and sodomy, have extremely high evidentiary threshold, requiring no less than two or four men of high moral standing and piety as witnesses, to the exclusion of every form of circumstantial evidence.” » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Monday, April 22, 2019

Sultan of Brunei, Who Passed Anti-LGBT Laws, Owns Slew of Luxury UK Properties

THE GUARDIAN: Hassanal Bolkiah, who believes gay people should be stoned to death, is assisted by leading City auditing firms

The architect of new laws mandating the stoning to death of gay people in Brunei has billions of pounds of property wealth in the UK, shares in a leading tech fund and gets assistance from City auditing firms, a Guardian analysis has found.

Hassanal Bolkiah, the sultan of Brunei, owns a slew of properties in the super-rich enclaves of Kensington and Ascot, including luxury hotels and polo parks. One property alone could be worth an estimated £500m in rent each year.

He has also invested millions of pounds in Draper Esprit, a tech-focused venture capital fund with holdings in Trustpilot and the financial services firm Revolut. Until recently his global hotel empire was audited by the accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Bolkiah has become an international pariah for his implementation of sharia laws, including the stoning to death of people thought to be gay or to have committed adultery, in the country he has ruled as a supreme monarch for decades. » | David Pegg, Hilary Osborne and Caelainn Barr | Sunday, April 14, 2019

‘It’s Dangerous to Go Out Now’: Young, Gay and Scared in Brunei

THE OBSERVER: Draconian new laws have spread unease rather than outright panic in a population that is used to finding ways around legislation

A day after it became legally possible to be stoned to death for having gay sex in Brunei, 21-year-old Zain* got a bitter taste of the new reality.

Walking down the street in skinny jeans and high-heeled boots, a flamboyant anomaly in the conservative sultanate, the university student became a target.

“I saw this van about 50 metres away,” said Zain, who is gay. “When the driver saw me, the van accelerated, just to run me over, but I dodged it. I was like, ‘Bitch, what the hell was that?’”

Last week Brunei – a tiny tropical nation on the island of Borneo, a former British protectorate that is home to 420,000 people – introduced harsh new sharia laws, including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, and amputation of limbs for theft. » | Kate Lamb in Bandar Seri Begawan | Saturday, April 6, 2019

RAF and Royal Navy Urged to Cut Ties to Sultan of Brunei over Anti-gay Law

THE GUARDIAN: Protests outside Dorchester hotel in London after Brunei regime passes ‘death by stoning’ law for gay sex

The RAF and Royal Navy are under pressure to cut links with the sultan of Brunei amid a global backlash against his country’s decision to introduce death by stoning as punishment for homosexuality.

The calls came after crowds protesting against the country’s new draconian penal code surged through barriers outside the Brunei-owned Dorchester Hotel yesterday afternoon, forcing the police to stand in front of its doors.

More than 100 people, many bearing a mixture of rainbow flags, banners and placards, chanted “shame on you” outside the luxury hotel in Park Lane.

The protest was led by gay-rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who said: “The sultan is copying the barbaric punishments by Isis in Syria and Iraq; enacting death by stoning for people found guilty of homosexuality, adultery and insulting the prophet Muhammad.

“He is comparable to the Isis fanatics who executed people for these so-called crimes during their murderous caliphate. Brunei should be isolated as a pariah state, just like Isis was.” » | Charles Richardson and Jamie Doward | Saturday, April 6, 2019

Companies Abandon Brunei's Dorchester Hotel over Gay Sex Law

THE GUARDIAN: Businesses including Financial Times cancel events at London landmark as backlash grows

High-profile events and awards shows have been cancelled at the Dorchester in London in protest at the decision of Brunei, the hotel’s ultimate owner, to make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death.

The boycott against businesses owned by the Brunei state has continued to grow in recent days, following an outcry from LGBT campaigners including Sir Elton John over the introduction of the new rules, ordered by the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.

With other celebrities including the actor George Clooney giving their support to the boycott campaign, a string of companies confirmed on Friday that they would no longer be using the five-star hotel’s facilities. The TV Choice awards, several major property companies and the Financial Times were among those that said they would be cancelling events. » | Jim Waterson, Media editor | Friday, April 5, 2019

Holidays and Arms Deals with Brunei Don’t Trump Gay People’s Right to Exist

THE GUARDIAN: Fine words on LGBT equality from the government cost nothing – only real economic action will make a difference

Gay lives either matter or they don’t. Declaring that you support LGBTQ rights is cost-free; so is wrapping yourself in the rainbow flag, smiling at a same-sex couple publicly holding hands with that “Good for you” look in your eyes, or waving on a Pride parade with your kids. But what happens when a dictatorship allied to Britain and linked to the British establishment announces that it will stone gay people to death and torture lesbians?

Our own government has failed this test. “The Sultan of Brunei has been a great friend of this country over many years,” cooed Mark Field, describing the country as a “friendly and generous place”, blaming Britain’s mate for getting “a little bit more devout as he got older”, and calling for a “positive and constructive dialogue on this issue”. On the spectrum of condemnation, this barely qualifies as mild tutting. Over the last few years, in our time-honoured tradition of flogging weapons to human-rights abusing despots, the British government has approved millions of pounds worth of arms licences to Brunei. » | Owen Jones | Friday, April 5, 2019

This is a wonderful article by Owen Jones. Don't miss reading it all. – MA

The Guardian View on Brunei and Stoning: Don’t Leave It to Celebrities to Act

THE GUARDIAN: Brunei’s shocking new penal code must be challenged – through deeds as well as words. Britain’s responsibilities are clear

Brunei’s introduction of new laws allowing stoning for adultery and sex between men has sparked international outrage. Elton John and George Clooney’s calls for a boycott of luxury hotels owned by the tiny south-east Asian kingdom have grabbed the spotlight. The United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has condemned the “cruel and inhuman” measures, as have the EU, Australia and others.

The punishment is only one of many horrifying changes in a penal code which also covers apostasy, amputation as a punishment for theft and flogging for abortions. Lesbian sex is punishable by 40 strokes of the cane as well as jail. In some cases children who have reached puberty are subject to the same penalties as adults; younger ones may be flogged. The sharia code was first introduced in 2013, and was supposed to be enacted gradually; following an outcry the government did not bring forward its harshest elements until now. Many suspect that the impact of declining oil revenues on public spending has left Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the longest-ruling absolute monarchs, keen to bolster support among conservative elements. » | Editorial | Thursday, April 4, 2019

#boycottbrunei : Brunei Sultan Enacts Gay Sex Stoning Law | DW News

Questioning Brunei's Consulate on Anti-LGBT Sharia Law Death Penalty | Janice Atkinson

Janice Atkinson of TheRebel.media reports: The Nation of Brunei is introducing a new Sharia Law penal code on April 3rd that imposes the death penalty on its Muslim citizens by stoning for rape, adultery, insulting Muhammad and for committing homosexual acts.

Human Rights Watch: LGBT Law Will Turn Brunei into 'Human-rights Pariah'

Brunei on Wednesday introduced harsh new sharia laws, including death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, despite a storm of global criticism from politicians, celebrities and rights groups. Human Rights Watch says the hardline rules will turn the sultanate into a "human-rights pariah."

The Sultan of Brunei’s Frugal Brother! »

Brunei Enacts New Penal Laws amid International Condemnation | #TheCube

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Brunei Introduces Death by Stoning for Gay Sex and Adultery » | Iliana Magra | Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Trump's Silence Is Deafening As Brunei's Brutal Anti-LGBTQ Laws Arrive

ADVOCATE: Today, new laws go into effect that require death by stoning if one is caught having any type of queer sex — marking a brutal set-back for LGBTQ rights.

As of today, in Brunei, gay sex and adultery can be punished with death by stoning — and the president of the United States hasn’t said a word about it.

Donald Trump’s silence comes despite his administration’s announced campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality around the world — although that is something he seemed to have no clue about when questioned on it in February.

The small but oil-rich nation is an absolute monarchy ruled by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who decided to set this new rule with little explanation to why.

"I want to see Islamic teachings in this country grow stronger," Bolkiah said on Wedneseday morning local time, according to AFP news agency, but did not mention the new laws.

Homosexuality has been illegal and punishable by up to 10 years in prison for some time already — and are connected to Bolkiah's 2014 pursuits to usher in more conservative laws. However this new era seems to promise a level of brutality that has put the global community on edge. » | Trudy Ring | Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Brunei Sultan Calls for Islamic Teachings to Be Strengthened as He Implements Death by Stoning for Gay Sex

THE TELEGRAPH: Brunei's sultan called for Islamic teachings in the country to be strengthened as strict new sharia punishments, including death by stoning for gay sex and adultery, were due to come into force on Wednesday.

The tough penal code in the tiny country on tropical Borneo island - ruled by the all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah - is set to be fully implemented following years of delays.

The laws, which also include amputation of hands and feet for thieves, will make Brunei the first place in East or Southeast Asia to have a sharia penal code at the national level, joining several mostly Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Rape and robbery are also punishable by death under the code and many of the new laws, such as capital punishment for insulting the Prophet Mohammed, apply to non-Muslims as well as Muslims. » | Agence France-Presse | Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Brunei Brings in Stoning to Death for Gay Sex, Despite Outcry

THE GUARDIAN: Shock among LGBT community in tiny southeast Asian kingdom as nation moves towards strict sharia law

Brunei’s small underground LGBT community have expressed shock and dismay over Brunei’s plan to bring in the punishment of death by stoning for adultery and gay sex.

The laws were scheduled to be introduced on Wednesday in the tiny south-east Asian kingdom ruled by the all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

The new punishments, which also include amputation of hands and feet for thieves, will make Brunei the first country in east or southeast Asia to have a sharia penal code at the national level. Several mostly Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia also adhere to sharia law. » | Kate Lamb in Jakarta and agencies | Wednesday, April 3, 2019

An Explainer on Sharia Law and Why It Shouldn't Be Used to Punish Gays

ADVOCATE: Draconian laws like those in Brunei are based on a misapplication of Sharia, which isn't really a legal code, Islamic scholars and activists say.

There has been, understandably, much outcry against the sultanate of Brunei’s imposition of what is often called Sharia law — a legal system based on Islam. But Sharia is not monolithic, according to many scholars of Islam; it can be and is interpreted in different ways from one country to another. And some point out that referring to Sharia as “law” is problematic — it’s a religious way of life.

Brunei, ruled dictatorially by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, began incorporating aspects of Sharia into its penal code in 2014, causing international outrage and a boycott of the luxury hotels owned by the sultan’s company, the Dorchester Collection. Some portions of the code going into effect in April provide for death by stoning for people who have sex with a person of the same gender and women who have sex outside of marriage, and for amputation of a hand or foot for thieves. » | Advocate.com Editors | Monday, April 1, 2019

ADVOCATE: Brunei's Antigay Laws Are Too Much Even for Ted Cruz » | Trudy Ring | Monday, April 1, 2019r

PINK NEWS: Bill Maher says Brunei boycott is ‘chickens**t tokenism’ » | Nick Duffy | Monday, April 1, 2019

Brunei to Punish Homosexuals with Death by Stoning

PERSPECTIVES | The sultan of Brunei has declared homosexuality is now punishable by stoning to death. The sultan's move has LGBT groups and human rights organizations worried, as the sultanate in southeast Asia takes a step in a more conservative direction. How is the international community perceiving this? Truth Wins Out founder Wayne Besen analyzes.

Gay Sex Is About To Become Punishable With Death By Stoning In Brunei | TIME

UN Joins Clooney in Decrying 'Inhuman' Brunei Anti-gay Law

THE GUARDIAN: Penal code that imposes death by stoning for gay sex is serious setback for rights, says commissioner

The United Nations has condemned “cruel and inhuman” laws set to take effect in Brunei this week that impose death by stoning for gay sex and adultery, and amputations for theft.

“I appeal to the government to stop the entry into force of this draconian new penal code, which would mark a serious setback for human rights protections for the people of Brunei if implemented,” the UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in a statement.

Brunei, an absolute monarchy ruled for 51 years by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, has said it will implement the code starting on Wednesday.

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

The law stipulates the death penalty for a number of offences, including rape, adultery, sodomy, robbery and insulting or defaming the prophet Muhammad.

It also introduces public flogging as punishment for abortion as well as amputation for theft, and criminalises exposing Muslim children to the beliefs and practices of any religion besides Islam. » | Agence France-Presse in Geneva | Monday, April 1, 2019