Should Brunei be expelled from the Commonwealth?
Labour says it is time to draw ‘a line in the sand’ after new sharia laws introduce death penalty for gay sex
The government is facing calls to suspend Brunei from the Commonwealth amid growing international condemnation at new sharia laws which introduced the death penalty for gay sex.
Strict new Islamist laws, which include punishments of amputation or death for offences including adultery, sodomy, robbery and rape, came into effect in Brunei on Wednesday, “triggering an international outcry” reports The Independent.
There could be several reasons behind the implementation, but Matthew Woolfe, founder of human rights group The Brunei Project, said it could be linked to Brunei's weakening economy.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“One theory is that it is a way for the government to strengthen its hold on power in the face of a declining economy that could potentially lead to some unrest in future,” Woolfe told the BBC.
“Connected to this is [Brunei’s] interest in attracting more investment from the Muslim world, along with more Islamic tourists… this could be seen as one way of appealing to this market”, although the government might have hoped to get away with the latest roll-out without anyone realising, he added.
Since the story was first broken by Gay Star News on the weekend, numerous celebrities have come out calling for a boycott of hotels owned by the kingdom of Brunei.
CNN says comedian Ellen DeGeneres, tennis star Billie Jean King and actress Jamie Lee Curtis “are just the latest to follow actor George Clooney in condemning the harsh new legislation, urging the public to boycott nine hotels owned by the tiny Southeast Asian kingdom -- three in the United Kingdom, two in the United States, two in France and two in Italy”.
In 2014, when the roll-out of Sharia law in Brunei was first announced, Elton John and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson led calls for a boycott of state-owned businesses and hotels.
Now Labour has gone one step further and called for the foreign office to exert diplomatic pressure on the tiny oil-rich Commonwealth kingdom, and even push for its suspension.
Shadow foreign office minister Khalid Mahmood called the new laws “truly heartbreaking” but added “it is also a clear breach of Brunei’s obligations under the Commonwealth charter in respect of human rights and there surely must be immediate consequences for Brunei if they press ahead of these proposals in terms of membership of the Commonwealth.”
He said the Commonwealth has fought against democratic abuses but it has turned a “blind eye” towards abuses of LGBT people in countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. It was now time to draw “a line in the sand” over LGBT rights abuses, Labour said.
SNP MP Martin Docherty-Hughes also urged the government to consider appealing to the Commonwealth to suspend Brunei, in line with Zimbabwe, which was kicked out in 2002, before withdrawing the following year.
He further raised concern at enthusiasm for “Commonwealth 2.0” by some MPs, pointing out there are 35 states in the group which criminalise LGBT people.
The Commonwealth has been touted as a fertile market for post-Brexit trade deals by the government, and there are concerns economic interest could trump ethical considerations when it comes to dealing with some less-progressive former colonies.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - papal ideas, high-powered debates, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 sleeper hit cartoons about Trump's struggles to stay awake in court
Cartoons Artists take on courtroom tranquility, war on wokeness, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The true story of Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
In depth The writer's fall from grace with his high-flying socialite friends in 1960s Manhattan is captured in a new Disney+ series
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is there a peaceful way forward for Israel and Iran?
Today's Big Question Tehran has initially sought to downplay the latest Israeli missile strike on its territory
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How green onions could swing South Korea's election
The Explainer Country's president has fallen foul of the oldest trick in the campaign book, not knowing the price of groceries
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine's battle to save Kharkiv from Putin's drones
The Explainer Country's second-largest city has been under almost daily attacks since February amid claims Russia wants to make it uninhabitable
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
India elections 2024: the logistics of world's biggest vote
The Explainer More than 10% of the world's population is registered for a historic democratic exercise, with PM Modi likely to dominate again
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published