Elton John Joins call for Boycott of Brunei-owned Hotels

THE GUARDIAN: Singer follows George Clooney in protest at sultanate’s death penalty for gay sex and adultery

Elton John has joined George Clooney in calling for a boycott of nine Brunei-owned hotels over the sultanate’s new death penalty laws for gay sex and adultery.

“I commend my friend, George Clooney, for taking a stand against the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry taking place in the nation of Brunei – a place where gay people are brutalised, or worse – by boycotting the sultan’s hotels,” the singer wrote on his Twitter page late on Saturday.

The 72-year-old, a veteran gay rights campaigner, said his “heart went out” to staff at the hotels, but that “we must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable”.

The nine hotels mentioned by Clooney, in the US, Britain, France and Italy, include London’s exclusive Dorchester and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. » | Agence France-Presse | Sunday, March 31, 2019

Brunei Brings In Death by Stoning as Punishment for Gay Sex

THE GUARDIAN: From 3 April, people in the tiny south-east Asian kingdom will be subject to a draconian new penal code based on sharia law

Brunei is to begin imposing death by stoning as a punishment for gay sex and adultery from next week, as part of the country’s highly criticised implementation of sharia law.

From 3 April, individuals in the tiny southeast Asian kingdom will be subject to a draconian new penal code, which also includes the amputation of a hand and a foot for the crime of theft. The capital punishments are to be “witnessed by a group of Muslims.”

Brunei, which has adopted a more conservative form of Islam in recent years, first announced back in 2014 its intention to introduce sharia law, the Islamic legal system which imposes strict corporal punishments. It was a directive of the Sultan of Brunei, who is one of the world’s richest leaders with a personal wealth of about $20bn and has held the throne since 1967. » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen, South-east Asia correspondent | Thursday, March 28, 2019

ADVOCATE: Re-Boycott the Beverly Hills Hotel and Its Gay-Stoning Bruneian Owner »

THESE ARE THE HOTELS TO AVOID: »

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK: Brunei: 'Vicious' new laws to allow stoning of same-sex couples and amputation for robbery »

Maldives Woman Sentenced to Death by Stoning Wins Reprieve

The Supreme Court in the Maldives, where the case was
annulled on Sunday night

THE TELEGRAPH: Unusually harsh sentence for mother of five convicted by local judge on remote island of Gemanafushi in the Maldives overturned by country's top court

The Maldives' highest court has overturned an unprecedented sentence of death by stoning for a woman convicted of adultery, a crime in the Muslim island nation, media reports said on Monday.

The woman, identified by local media as a mother of five, was convicted by a local judge on a remote island in the Maldives, a popular tourist destination that has seen a rise in Islamic extremism.

The Haveeru news site said the woman had confessed to the crime after giving birth on the remote equatorial islet of Gemanafushi, about 250 miles south of the capital Male.

The Supreme Court annulled the case on Sunday night, ruling that the judge had failed to consider the legal as well as Islamic procedures of the nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims, the Maldives Independent website said.

The Maldives, a popular Indian Ocean honeymoon destination, observes elements of Islamic Sharia law as well as English common law.

Sex outside marriage is against the law in the Maldives, although the ban does not apply to tourists visiting the upmarket holiday destination. » | AFP | Monday, October 19, 2015

A Hug from the Executioner... Then Two Gay Men Are Stoned to Death: ISIS Murderers Stage Show of Kindness for the Cameras before Brutal Killing

Strange: The group of executioners made a display
of hugging the blindfolded couple and telling them
they were forgiven for their 'sins', before pummeling
them to death with hundreds of fist-sized rocks

DAILY MAIL: Shocking images show men being savagely executed in Homs province / Executioners embraced the two victims before stoning them to death / Bloodthirsty crowds are seen in the desert clearing to watch the atrocity / Men were executed after ISIS militants accused them of being a gay couple

Depraved militants fighting for the Islamic State in Syria have brutally stoned two gay men to death only seconds after they were photographed embracing and 'forgiving' them.

The shocking images were taken in ISIS-held territory in the province of Homs and show the two accused men being savagely executed by up to four jihadis.

Huge, bloodthirsty crowds are seen in the desert clearing where the group of executioners made a display of hugging the blindfolded couple and telling them they were forgiven of their 'sins', before pummeling them to death with hundreds of fist-sized rocks.

Images of the horrific murder emerged on social media this afternoon and were hurriedly shared online by ISIS sympathisers who claim the photographs reveal the terrorists' compassionate side. Read on and comment » | John Hall for MailOnline | Thursday, April 23, 2015

IS Stones To Death Man & Woman In Mosul For Adultery

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES: In yet another display of how the Islamic State (IS) implements the Sharia law, a resident of Mosul narrated another recent incident of stoning to death of a man and a woman for adultery. The witness was a clothing store owner whose outlet is near a government building where the incident happens.

Abu Mohammad al-Lahibi, the shop owner, said the woman was in her 20s and married. Lahibi was not sure if the woman was given a fair trial since none was held before the stoning.

The two were handcuffed, while the woman wore a full face veil called niqab. Twelve IS militants stood before the condemned couple and had bags filled with stones. They started to throw stones on the two. On the third stone, the “adulteress” was killed, while the man died after her, recounts Lahibi. » | Vittorio Hernandez | Wednesday, March 25, 2015

New Dark Age Alert! Malaysian Parties Chase Islamic Vote with 'Death by Stoning' Law

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: Kuala Lumpur: Six months after Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stood before the United Nations and urged Muslims worldwide to be moderate in their religion, members of his own party are supporting a law that punishes adulterers with death and thieves with amputation.

Lawmakers from Mr Najib's United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) joined the opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) to pass Islamic criminal law, or hudud, in the opposition-held state of Kelantan.

The move has drawn criticism from other parties in their respective coalitions, while human rights groups say it's an unconstitutional step for secular Malaysia. » | Niluksi Koswanage and Liau Y-Sing | Monday, March 23, 2015

Cage Director Asim Qureshi Refuses to Condemn Stoning of Adulterous Women

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: This Week presenter Andrew Neil appears shocked at failure to refute Sharia law

The director of the Muslim rights group Cage has repeatedly refused to condemn the stoning of adulterous women by Islamic extremists.

Appearing on the BBC’s This Week programme, Asim Qureshi was asked about a series of positions advocated by a Muslim scholar he has described as a mentor, including female genital mutilation, domestic violence and the stoning to death of women found guilty of cheating on their husbands.

Last month, Mr Qureshi was criticised for describing Mohammed Emwazi, the Islamic State executioner known as Jihadi John, as a “beautiful young man”.

Pressed by Andrew Neil, the show’s presenter, to condemn a series of extreme positions, including claims

that Jews are descended from pigs and homosexuality is evil. He repeatedly refused to engage, saying: “I’m not a theologian.” (+ video) » | Rosa Prince, Online Political Editor, Video source: BBC / This Week | Friday, March 06, 2015

Warning: Extremely Disturbing Images. Woman Stoned to Death by ISIS in Syria (October 2014)

Isis Releases First Video Showing Stoning of Woman Accused of Committing Adultery as Her Father Shouts 'Don't Call Me Dad'

THE INDEPENDENT: Amnesty International says apparent murder is 'yet another example of the disgusting depravity of Isis'

Isis have released a video appearing to show a young woman being stoned to death in the presence of her father, who refuses to forgive her alleged crimes.

The execution, which was released in the early hours of Tuesday night by Isis, who also call themselves the Islamic State, took place in Hama, Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, but the date of the stoning cannot be confirmed.

In the video the militants press the father to forgive his daughter, accused of committing adultery, before she is stoned to death - in order to set an example.

“This punishment right now, is a result of your action you chose. No one forced you, therefore you need to accept God’s law, and to accept and submit to God. Islam is submitting to the will God,” one of the militants says to the girl. » | Rose Buchanan | Wednesday, October 22, 2014

New Dark Age Alert! Special Report: The Punishment Was Death by Stoning. The Crime? Having a Mobile Phone

THE INDEPENDENT: This barbaric form of execution is on the rise, and campaigners are calling on the UN to act

Two months ago, a young mother of two was stoned to death by her relatives on the order of a tribal court in Pakistan. Her crime: possession of a mobile phone.

Arifa Bibi's uncle, cousins and others hurled stones and bricks at her until she died, according to media reports. She was buried in a desert far from her village. It's unlikely anyone was arrested. Her case is not unique. Stoning is legal or practised in at least 15 countries or regions. And campaigners fear this barbaric form of execution may be on the rise, particularly in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Women's rights activists have launched an international campaign for a ban on stoning, which is mostly inflicted on women accused of adultery. They are using Twitter and other social media to put pressure on the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, to denounce the practice.

"Stoning is a cruel and hideous punishment. It is a form of torturing someone to death," said Naureen Shameem of the international rights group Women Living Under Muslim Laws. "It is one of the most brutal forms of violence perpetrated against women in order to control and punish their sexuality and basic freedoms." » | Emma Batha | Sunday, September 29, 2013

Dark Age Stuff! Swiss Islamic Leaders Defend the Stoning of Women

Sudanese Woman Sentenced to Stoning [to] Death Over Adultery Claims
THE GUARDIAN: Intisar Sharif Abdallah tried without access to lawyer and is being detained with four-month-old baby, prompting outcry

A young mother found guilty of adultery in Sudan has been sentenced to death by stoning, prompting an outcry from human rights campaigners. Intisar Sharif Abdallah was tried without access to a lawyer and is being detained with her four-month-old baby, according to Amnesty International. Amnesty puts Abdallah's age at 20; Human Rights Watch says she may be under 18. Her family is appealing against the execution and it is unclear when it will be carried out. Abdallah, who may be under 18, only admitted to the charges at a later hearing after her brother reportedly beat her. The conviction was based solely [?] rests on this testimony. The man held with her reportedly denied the charges and was released.

Abdallah is said to be shackled by the legs and in psychological distress, unable to understand the nature of her sentence. Her other children are being cared for by family, who are [of] filing an appeal in Ombada. Jean-Baptiste Gallopin of Amnesty's Sudan team said: "The case is emblematic of the failure of the Sudanese judicial system. Intisar Sharif Abdallah was tried without access to a lawyer or a translator, despite the fact that Arabic is not her native language. She was convicted solely based on a testimony she gave under duress. She's being detained with her four-month old son, in a state of deep psychological distress. We call on the Sudanese authorities to stop the execution, overturn her stoning sentence and release her immediately and unconditionally. Read on and comment » | David Smith in Johannesburg | Thursday, May 31, 2012

Stoned to Death for Being an Emo: Ninety Iraqi Students Killed for Having 'Strange Hair and Tight Clothes'
MAIL ONLINE: More than 90 Iraqi students have been stoned to death for their Emo haircuts by religious extremists in Baghdad in the past month after an interior ministry statement dubbed it devil worshipping.

Iraq's Moral Police released a statement on the interior ministry's website condemning the 'emo phenomenon' among Iraqi youth, declaring its intent to 'eliminate' the trend.

'The Emo phenomenon or devil worshipping is being followed by the Moral Police who have the approval to eliminate [the phenomenon] as soon as possible since it's detrimentally affecting the society and becoming a danger,' the statement read.

'They wear strange, tight clothes that have pictures on them such as skulls and use stationary that are shaped as skulls. They also wear rings on their noses and tongues, and do other strange activities[,]'.

Since the statement was published religious extremists have been harassing and killing teenagers with 'strange' or 'emo' appearances.

A group of armed men dressed in civilian clothing led dozens of teenagers to secluded areas a few days ago, stoned them to death, and then disposed their bodies in garbage dumpsters across the capital, according to activists, activists told the Cairo-based al-Akhbar website. » | Daily Mail Reporter | Saturday, March 10, 2012

Iran Moves to Ban Stoning
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iran has issued major reforms to its penal code that ban death by stoning and forbid the execution of minors.

Local Iranian media reports that the changes were approved by the guardian council, a body tasked with ensuring that the country's judicial laws do not contravene Islamic law.

The legislation now requires only the signature of the president to be enshrined into law.

Prior to the reforms, Iran has the record for executing more juveniles than any other country in the world. A report published human rights group Human Rights Watch earlier this year stated that more than a hundred children are currently on death row. Most are not executed until they turn 18.

Stoning is usually reserved for men and women found guilty of adultery. At least 99 people have been stoned to death in Iran since 1980.

Drewery Dyke, an expert on Iran at Amnesty International, warns that due to quirks of the Iranian legal system, the reforms are not as clear cut as they appear. » | Phoebe Greenwood | Monday, February 13, 2012

Muslim Teenage Beauty Queen 'Stoned to Death'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A teenage Muslim girl has been stoned to death in Ukraine after taking part in a beauty contest, it has been claimed.

The body of 19-year-old Katya Koren was found dumped in a forest on the Crimean peninsula a week after she went missing amid suggestions that she had been 'punished' for flouting Sharia law.

Police said that Miss Koren, a former participant in regional heats of the Miss Ukraine beauty pageant, had suffered multiple blows to the head inflicted by one or more stones or rocks.

There were conflicting reports of how and why she was murdered. Some local newspapers claimed she had been stoned to death by hardline Muslims upset by her participation in the beauty contest and that police had three suspects in their sights.

But the police said her killing had nothing to do with sectarian violence and that the girl had been killed by a psychologically troubled classmate who had given her a lift on his moped and then robbed and possibly raped her before battering her to death with a rock.

"A student did it, killing his classmate. There is no other underlying reason, neither religious nor linked with inter-ethnic conflicts," said Sergei Reznikov, a senior policeman involved in the case. » | Andrew Osborn | Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Shocking Footage Emerges of Taliban Stoning Couple to Death
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A disturbing video of a man and woman being executed by the Taliban has been released by Afghan security forces.

Read article and watch video here | Thursday, January 27, 2011

Iran Airs New Confession by Woman in Stoning Case
FOX NEWS: TEHRAN, IRAN – An Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery confessed to helping a man kill her husband and re-enacted the alleged crime in an interview broadcast Friday by Iranian state television — an apparent effort by the government to deflect international criticism over the case.

It was the fourth time Sakineh Mohammedi Ashtiani has been shown on TV as Tehran has faced an international outcry over the announcement that she would be stoned to death, the latest source of friction between Iran and the West.

Authorities announced her conviction in the murder case only after the uproar over the stoning sentence erupted last summer, and her lawyer — who has since been arrested — said she was never formally put on trial for the killing and was tortured into confessing. Iranian authorities could use the murder charge to justify executing Ashtiani by hanging instead of stoning.

In the new footage broadcast on English-language Press TV, the 43-year-old mother of two was brought from the prison to her home outside the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran where she was shown acting out the alleged December 2005 killing, complete with an actor portraying her husband.

Ashtiani, dressed in black with a beige scarf covering her hair, described how she began an affair with another man identified as Isa Taheri. She said she gave her husband an injection that rendered him unconscious, then Taheri came to her house and electrocuted him.

Amnesty International criticized the broadcast, which was announced by Press TV earlier Friday, saying it violated international standards for a fair trial by having Ashtiani implicate herself in a crime. >>> Associated Press | Friday, December 10, 2010

THE TIMES: Iran ‘freed Ashtiani to frame case against her’ >>> Martin Fletcher, Hugh Tomlinson | Saturday, December 11, 2010 (£)

The Forced Interview with Sakineh and Sajad, Hootan and Two German Journalists

THE TIMES: Blurred and dubbed: the Ashtiani TV trial is a sham to fool Iranians >>> Hugh Tomlinson | Wednesday, November 17, 2010 (Behind a paywall: £)

Iran Charges Two German Journalists With Spying Over Ashtiani Case
THE GUARDIAN: Pair 'confess' on state TV after interviewing son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, the woman sentenced to death by stoning

Two German journalists have been charged with spying against Iran after interviewing the family of the woman sentenced to death by stoning, an Iranian judicial official said today.

The two women, who were identified only as a reporter and a photographer, were arrested in the city of Tabriz last month after interviewing the son of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.

Malekajdar Sharifi, the head of the judiciary in East Azerbaijan province, said today that spying charges have been formally lodged against them.

The semi-official Fars News Agency quoted him as saying: "The espionage charge for the two German citizens who came to Iran to stage propaganda and spying has been approved."

According to Iran's English-language broadcaster, Press TV, he added: "These two women are certainly spies and their case will be addressed [in a court of law]." >>> Matthew Weaver and agencies | Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Woman Sentenced to Death by Stoning Confesses 'Sin of Adultery' to Iran TV
THE GUARDIAN: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani also blamed activist Mina Ahadi for spreading story around world

An image of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani held during a support rally in Rome. Photograph: The Guardian

Iranian state TV broadcast a statement last night by the woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, in which she described herself as a "sinner".

Appearing on TV for the third time since her case caught the world's attention, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, 43, also accused Mina Ahadi, an activist of the German-based International Committee Against Stoning (Icas), of spreading her story around the world.

The report also broadcast purported statements by two men whose faces were blurred. State TV identified them as Ashtiani's son, Sajjad Qaderzadeh, 22, and her lawyer, Houtan Kian, both of whom were arrested last month. >>> Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Iran Stoning Woman Calls Herself a 'Sinner' on State TV
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Iranian state television has broadcast footage of a purported statement by an Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in which she calls herself a "sinner". >>> | Monday, November 15, 2010