Brunei will not enforce the death penalty for those convicted of having gay sex following a global backlash against the country led by international human rights groups and celebrities.
The small South-East Asian nation 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’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah 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.
In a rare response to criticism aimed at the oil-rich state, the Sultan said in a speech ahead of the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that the death penalty would not be imposed in the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code Order (SPCO).
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