After worldwide condemnation of Brunei’s penalty for gay sex, the country’s ruler has said it will not impose the death penalty on those convicted of having same-sex relations, http://CNN.com reported.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah said he would extend a moratorium on capital punishment and ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture. (The law also decreed death by stoning for those convicted of adultery and rape.)
Celebrities such as George Clooney, Ellen DeGeneres and Elton John joined rights groups in seeking to boycott hotels the sultan owned, while large companies including JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank told their employees to avoid using Brunei-owned hotels.
However, despite his announcement on the death penalty, Bolkiah said he stood by his new penal code, overall.
The CNN article is at http://www.cnn.com/2019/05/05/asia/brunei-lgbt-death-penalty-intl/index.html.