Brunei has announced that a strict new criminal code based on Islamic Sharia law will be implemented from Thursday.
The punishments introduced under the new code include stoning to death as punishment for adultery or homosexuality and the severing of limbs as punishment for theft.
The introduction of the laws by 67-year-old Sultan Hassanal Bolkoah have caused “deep concern” at the UN, with the tiny oil-rich nation home to sizeable Christian and Buddhist communities alongside its majority Muslim population. The UN urged Brunei to delay the changes determine whether they comply with international standard on human rights.
The new punishments will be gradually introduced over the next three years, with the more severe punishments such as stoning and amputation coming in later phases.
Brunei’s criminal justice system is currently based on the British common law, similar to the systems in India and Singapore, with Sharia law only imposed in matters of Muslim divorce and for offences of khalwat (close proximity) and zina (illicit sex) amongst Muslims.
