To be queer in Brunei will soon be punishable by death — and an incredibly painful one, at that.
Beginning next week, statutes in the Southeast Asian nation will go into effect that allow death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, the New York Times reports. The law was first announced in 2013, triggering international outcry. In the wake of these protests, the government seemed to hold off moving forward; in reality, though, the Times notes that the country’s attorney general quietly posted an announcement last year that the draconian provisions would take effect on April 3, 2019.
Homosexuality and adultery are already illegal in Brunei, and carry a sentence of up to ten years in prison. The new law adds new penalties, including whipping and stoning. And, though the law will apply to citizens of all religions, a person can only be convicted under this law if multiple Muslim people witness the queer sex or adultery.
The law also allows for “amputation of the hands or feet as a punishment for robbery,” per the Times.
Just as it was in 2013 — when the sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, first announced it — the homophobic penalty has been heavily criticized by human-rights groups, who have labeled it “cruel and inhumane.”
“Brunei’s Penal Code is a deeply flawed piece of legislation containing a range of provisions that violate human rights,” Rachel Chhoa-Howard, a researcher at Amnesty International, said in a statement. “As well as imposing cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments, it blatantly restricts the rights to freedom of expression, religion and belief, and codifies discrimination against women and girls.”
She continued: “To legalize such cruel and inhuman penalties is appalling of itself. Some of the potential ‘offenses’ should not even be deemed crimes at all, including consensual sex between adults of the same gender.”
