On April 3, 2019, Brunei enacted a new penal code that mandates corporal punishment for certain crimes, including death by stoning for gay sex and adultery and the amputation of hands or feet for theft. The code has received considerable backlash from governments and human rights organizations across the globe. While much of this criticism has focused on the code’s violation of LGBTQ rights, the legislation could have broad impact on all Bruneians.
Pin Lean Lau, SJD graduate and teaching and research fellow at CEU, and Mathias Moschel, professor in the Department of Legal Studies, discuss the human rights implications of the new penal code in this latest edition of CEU’s FOCUS video series. Lau and Moschel consider the potential impact of the law, what methods the international community can use to address Brunei’s actions and whether neighboring countries will adopt similarly harsh criminal codes.
