Brunei halts plan to punish gay sex with death by stoning
Following an international uproar, sultan says Brunei will not enforce death penalty for gay sex, adultery and rape. Brunei's sultan has extended a moratorium on the death penalty to new laws prohibiting gay sex and adultery after a global backlash against the punishments.
The announcement on Sunday was Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's first public comments on the new penal code since it fully entered into force last month. The laws, based on Brunei's interpretation of Islamic laws or sharia, introduced stoning to death for sodomy, rape and adultery, amputation of hands and feet for thieves, and public flogging for abortion.
The controversial measures, which the UN condemned as "cruel and inhuman", 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.
The sultan first announced plans for the Islamic penal code in 2013. The first section was introduced in 2014 and included less stringent penalties, such as fines or jail terms for offences including indecent behaviour or skipping Friday prayers.
He said the aim of both the common law and the Islamic law were "to ensure peace and harmony of the country".
"They are also crucial in protecting the morality and decency of the country ..." he added.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/brunei-halts-plan-punish-gay-sex-adultery-death-190505181513614.html
