Brunei is a little country of less than a half-million people, located on the small island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. That’s it, up there on the right-hand side of the map, in that little circle. The official name of the country is the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace.
Except for gay people.
One week from today, a new law goes into effect allowing for gay people to be stoned to death.
Yes, you read that right.
Brunei has passed a law allowing the death penalty to be administered by stoning the “guilty” to death — a horrific and ancient custom.
“Rape, adultery, sodomy, extramarital sexual relations for Muslims, insulting any verses of the Quran and Hadith, blasphemy, declaring oneself a prophet or non-Muslim, and murder are the other offences for which the death penalty could be applied under the revised code, which is due to come into force on 22 April,” the International Law Professor Blog reports.
That “sodomy” part of the law applies to homosexual sex.
The UN has voiced upset.
“Application of the death penalty for such a broad range of offences contravenes international law,†said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). “We urge the Government to delay the entry into force of the revised penal code and to conduct a comprehensive review ensuring its compliance with international human rights standards,†he told a news conference in Geneva.
“Under international law, stoning people to death constitutes torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is thus clearly prohibited,†stated Mr. Colville. He added that a number of UN studies have also revealed that women are more likely to be sentenced to death by stoning, due to deeply entrenched discrimination and stereotyping against them, including among law enforcement and judicial officers.
LGBT people traveling to Brunei? Not recommended. LGBT people in Brunei should be urged to leave.
Image via Wikimedia
Hat tip: John Becker at The Bilerico Project