This Wednesday, on April 3, Brunei plans on fully implementing Syariah Penal Code, which will increase the number of offenses — including homosexuality — punishable by death and corporal punishment, and which will result in Brunei blatantly failing to comply with international legal standards on the whole. Just six months ago, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted contributions to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Reviews of Brunei Darussalam, together with The Brunei Project.
Joy Park, legal counsel for Asia at HRF can be attributed to the followed quote:
“Certain provisions of the Syariah Penal Code, such as the amputation of limbs and stoning, are in clear violation of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), which Brunei signed in 2015. The Human Rights Foundations urges the Bruneian government to uphold its obligation under international law and halt the implementation immediately.”
Today, HRF is calling on the government of Brunei to amend its constitution to include protections for individual freedoms, such as those of expression and association. It should pause the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code and conduct an official review to ensure its compliance with international legal standards.