Criminal law allowing death by stoning for adultery and gay sex was made legal on Wednesday in the small Southeast Asian sultanate of Brunei. The news has been met with international protest, including a Hollywood boycott of the nine hotels owned by Brunei's leader Hassanal Bolkiah, whose wealth amounts to tens of billions of dollars thanks to the nation's oil riches, according to The New York Times.
The properties make up the Dorchester Collection, owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, and include two hot-spots that Hollywood's A-listers are known to frequent: the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air. Other famed hotels under Dorchester include Hôtel Plaza Athénée and the Dorchester London
The harsh penal code in Brunei is based on Shariah, a system of law based on the Quran and other Islamic writings, according to the Times. In addition to death by stoning for adultery and gay sex, the penalty for theft is amputation of the limbs. In a statement, Amnesty International's Stephen Cockburn called the heinous punishments 'unspeakably cruel,' saying they 'have no place anywhere in the world.'
Here's everything to know about the new laws, which were put into effect despite the global outcry from human rights groups and celebrities like George Clooney and Ellen DeGeneres.
Extramarital sex, sodomy and abortion are all punished by death by stoning
As of Wednesday, the death penalty will also be required for rape and some forms of blasphemy or heresy, according to the Times. The law also requires amputations and whippings for certain crimes: The punishment for lesbian sex is 40 lashes.
Many of the punishments apply to minors, according to the Times, and anyone who has reached puberty receives the same punishment as an adult.
In a statement, Brunei's prime minister said it, 'is a sovereign Islamic and fully independent country and, like all other independent countries, enforces its own rule of laws.'
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement on Wednesday that 'Brunei’s new penal code is barbaric to the core, imposing archaic punishments for acts that shouldn’t even be crimes.' He called on Bolkiah to 'immediately suspend amputations, stoning, and all other rights-abusing provisions and punishments.'
George Clooney penned an article calling for a boycott of hotels owned by the Sultan Of Brunei
In a guest column for Deadline, Clooney called for the immediate boycott of the Dorchester hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei. 'They’re nice hotels,' he wrote. 'The people who work there are kind and helpful and have no part in the ownership of these properties. But let’s be clear, every single time we stay at or take meetings at or dine at any of these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery... I’ve learned over years of dealing with murderous regimes that you can’t shame them. But you can shame the banks, the financiers and the institutions that do business with them and choose to look the other way.'
Clooney makes the point that Hollywood has previously boycotted the Dorchester properties. 'A couple of years ago two of those hotels in Los Angeles, The Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel were boycotted by many of us for Brunei’s treatment of the gay community,' he wrote. 'It was effective to a point. We cancelled a big fundraiser for the Motion Picture Retirement Home that we’d hosted at the Beverly Hills Hotel for years. Lots of individuals and companies did the same. But like all good intentions when the white heat of outrage moves on to the hundred other reasons to be outraged, the focus dies down and slowly these hotels get back to the business of business. And the Brunei Investment Agency counts on that. '
In a follow up piece for Deadline, Clooney said, 'Let me just paint you a picture: 20 years from now, you or your kids are asked, “Is it true that the guy that owned all of these great hotels was stoning gay people to death?” And you say “yes.” The next question will be, “And you still went there?”'
A number of other celebrities are also boycotting the hotels
Ellen DeGeneres wrote on Instagram, 'Tomorrow, the country of Brunei will start stoning gay people to death. We need to do something now. Please boycott these hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei. Raise your voices now. Spread the word. Rise up.'
Elton John called the treatment 'unacceptable' on Twitter. 'That’s why David and I have long refused to stay at these hotels and will continue to do so,' he wrote, referencing his husband, David Furnish. 'We hope you will join us in solidarity.'
He acknowledged a hotel boycott would impact the 'good, hardworking employees of properties owned by the Sultan of Brunei, many of whom we know to be gay,' but that 'We must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable.'
Bobby Berk of Queer Eye fame—who is also currently on Capitol Hill advocating for LGBTQ rights—tweeted out a link to an Out article and tagged both Hotel Bel Air and Beverly Hills Hotel.
Even legendary activist and tennis star Billie Jean King voiced her opinion on Twitter. She re-tweeted DeGeneres and wrote, 'This atrocity begins today in #Brunei. Please join me and spread the word about the boycott of hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei.'
Many of the hotels haven't commented directly on the call for a boycott
That's according to CNN. 'Dorchester Collection's Code emphasises equality, respect and integrity in all areas of our operation, and strongly values people and cultural diversity amongst our guests and employees. Inclusion and diversity remain core beliefs as we do not tolerate any form of discrimination,' the company told CNN.
Le Meurice in Paris did not have a comment but said it wanted to 'stress that we do value LGBTQ rights,' the hotel's press manager, Alexandra Chlopek, told CNN.
The United States has condemned the new penalties
On Tuesday, the U.S. condemned the new penalties.
'The United States strongly opposes violence, criminalisation, and discrimination targeting vulnerable groups, including women at risk of violence, religious and ethnic minorities, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons,' Robert Palladino, deputy spokesman for the State Department, said in a statement.
Rose is a Senior Editor at ELLE overseeing features and projects about women's issues. She is an accomplished and compassionate storyteller and editor who excels in obtaining exclusive interviews and unearthing compelling features.
