Brunei to impose death by stoning and whipping for adultery under new law for LGBT+ people

Under a series of new law reforms to its penal code, Brunei is set to permit the stoning and whipping to death of LGBT+ people. The law only applies to Muslims.

New laws are due to come into effect from next Wednesday. the Kingdom of Brunei will become the first nation in Southeast Asia to impose the death penalty for those found engaging in same-sex intercourse.

Homosexuality was already illegal and carried a long jail sentence in Brunei but now it will become a capital offense. However, the country is in the process of introducing a sharia law-style system for criminal punishment.

Several human rights groups including Amnesty International, have denounced the move, calling the new punishments as “heinous” and “inhumane”.

Amnesty says that the new penalties, which also apply to children, are provided for in new sections under Brunei’s Sharia Penal Code and will come into effect April 3.

Brunei first announced the measures in 2013 but implementation has been delayed as the officials worked out the practical details for new law reforms.