Brunei Reportedly Introducing Death Penalty For Homosexuality

Brunei is allegedly introducing a series of extreme Islamic laws over the next month that will see, among many new punishments, the death penalty for homosexuality, Reuters reports.

The new laws are part of an update to the country’s penal code, introduced as part of a three-phase Islamic criminal law that began reforms in 2014.

The first stages included punishments for failing to pray on Fridays and for failing pregnant outside of marriage.

“The Brunei Project recently learnt that after years of continually delaying implementation of phases 2 and 3 of the Syariah Penal Code (SPC), the Brunei Government is now rushing through the final two phases concurrently, with the laws scheduled to take effect on 3rd April 2019,” the human rights advocacy group, The Brunei Project, wrote on social media.

“While this means that the Government is breaking its promise to implement the laws in three distinct phases, with a grace period between each phase, what is even more alarming is the secrecy with which it is doing so.

“Among the punishments will be the amputation of limbs for theft, the death penalty for apostasy, and a range of punishments for those found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with members of the same gender and adultery.”

If these laws are being introduced it would be in violation of the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment– which the country has agreed to, although it has not yet been ratified.

The Brunei government is remaining secretive about these new laws, with citizens in Brunei not even aware that they are being introduced. There is reportedly a media embargo on reporting on the laws within the country.

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