Tag Archives: Brunei

Reuters reports: Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Sunday extended a moratorium on the death penalty to incoming legislation prohibiting gay sex, seeking to temper a global backlash led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John. The small Southeast Asian country sparked an outcry when it rolled out its interpretation of Islamic laws, or sharia, on April 3, punishing …

Travel Agent Central reports: Princess Cruises is looking to change its calls to Brunei after the destination introduced a harsh penal code that includes laws that make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death, a spokesperson for the cruise line tells Travel Agent. “Princess Cruises is aware of the news stories circulating about the country of Brunei and …

The BBC reports: Brunei should be “chucked out” of the Commonwealth if it does not revoke its anti-LGBT laws, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry has said. Dozens of protesters chanted “shame on you” outside the Brunei-owned Dorchester hotel in London on Saturday. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he had expressed “deep UK opposition” to the new laws to Brunei’s government. …

SBS News reports: A petition to ban Royal Brunei Airlines from landing in Australia has gathered steam as Virgin Australian cancelled staff travel on the airline following the country’s introduction of harsh Sharia law that includes the death penalty for gay sex. The petition, directed to the Minister and Shadow Minister for Transport, calls on the government to “commit to …

The Hill reports: A number of luxury hotels owned by the ruler of Brunei have deleted their social media accounts amid calls for a boycott over the island nation’s new law punishing homosexuality. The accounts were removed the same day that the law, which makes gay sex and adultery punishable by death and calls for stoning, took effect. The Dorchester …

The BBC reports: Brunei is introducing strict new Islamic laws that make gay sex and adultery offences punishable by stoning to death. The new measures, that come into force on Wednesday, also cover a range of other crimes including punishment for theft by amputation. The move has sparked international condemnation. Brunei’s gay community has expressed shock and fear at the …

The Washington Examiner reports: Sen. Ted Cruz is making common cause with actor George Clooney, known for his liberal brand of politics, in calling for an economic boycott of Brunei after the Southeast Asian country approved a measure that would make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning. In an op-ed published on Deadline Friday, the actor condemned the Bruneian …

The Daily Beast reports: Mike Pompeo, the U.S. secretary of state, and the State Department have declined to directly condemn a new law in Brunei stipulating the stoning to death of LGBT people. In follow-up questions, The Daily Beast then asked if Pompeo and the State Department specifically objected to the violently anti-LGBT law, set to take effect on April …

Australia’s News Corp outlet reports: A gay couple that had booked flights to a tiny Asian nation before it introduced laws allowing it to stone people to death for gay sex received shocking advice from the federal government’s Smart Traveller hotline. Adultery and gay sex in Brunei will be subject to death by stoning and thieves will have their limbs …

George Clooney writes for Deadline Hollywood: The nation of Brunei will begin stoning and whipping to death any of its citizens that are proved to be gay. Let that sink in. In the onslaught of news where we see the world backsliding into authoritarianism this stands alone. At the head of it all is the Sultan of Brunei who is …

Amnesty International reports: Cruel and inhuman punishments such as death by stoning for same-sex sexual acts and amputation for robbery will come into effect in Brunei next week, Amnesty International said today. “Pending provisions in Brunei’s Penal Code would allow stoning and amputation as punishments – including for children, to name only their most heinous aspects,” said Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Brunei …

The New York Post reports that the Sultan-owned Beverly Hotel is now a ghost town and hundreds of workers have been taken off the schedule “Business really began dropping off six weeks ago,” one employee told me. “We knew it was coming. But then it exploded with the celebrity boycott.” Much of the 650-person staff has been told to stay …

The top clip features a rousing speech by Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lori Jean.

“There are a number of hotels and venues in the Los Angeles area that aren’t owned by foreign leaders and governments that allow for the execution of its LGBT citizens. We’re encouraging members of the LGBT community and our allies to consider those options instead of the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air––which are part of the Sultan’s Dorchester …

The first stage of Brunei’s brutal set of Sharia laws goes into effect tomorrow. The third and final stage, which calls for death by stoning for committing homosexual acts, goes into effect in 2015. The move – delayed from last week – came from the Sultan. “Today… I place my faith in and am grateful to Allah the almighty to …

The Gill Action Fund has moved a conference planned for next month out of the tony Beverly Hills Hotel over Brunei’s institution of death by stoning for homosexuality. The hotel is owned by the sultan of Brunei. The Washington Blade reports: Kirk Fordham, executive director of Gill Action, informed the Blade that a new venue would be chosen in the …

Next week Brunei will institute a set of brutal Sharia laws that demand death by stoning for homosexual acts, adultery, rape, murder, and for declaring oneself to be a non-Muslim.  The United Nations today condemned the coming laws. “Application of the death penalty for such a broad range of offenses contravenes international law,” said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office …