Despite international condemnation, Brunei enacted new Islamic criminal laws Wednesday, including harsh anti-LGBT measures that make gay sex punishable by stoning to death.
The implementation of the draconian penal code is part of the predominantly Muslim country’s rollout of Sharia law, Times reports.
The country’s sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, first announced that the Southeast Asian nation of about 450,000 people would practice Sharia law in October, 2013. The first phase, which related to crimes punishable by fines or imprisonment, was enacted in 2014.
The latter phases, which cover offenses punishable by amputation or death, were delayed amid global censure. But this week, Brunei defied critics and enacted legislation that allows ruthless punishments, some of which apply to children and non-Muslim foreigners.
