After a month of international outrage, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah announced the country will not enforce recently enacted laws calling for the death penalty as punishment for gay sex and adultery.
Bolkiah’s office issued a statement Sunday providing « clarification » to the country’s Syariah Penal Code Order (SPCO) 2013, which was not enacted until April 3,2019.
Within the SPCO, married people who engage in gay sex, known as « liwat, » or adultery, « zina, » are both subject to « stoning to death witnessed by a group of Muslims. »
« I am aware that there are many questions and misperceptions with regard to the implementation of the SPCO. We have given clarification to this. We are conscious of the fact that misperceptions may cause apprehension. However, we believe that once these have been cleared, the merit of the law will be evident, » the sultan’s announcement, issued as the month-long observance of Ramadan began, reads.
