Ben Westcott, CNN, March 29, 2019

A new law which comes into effect from next week will punish homosexual sex and adultery with death in the small southeast Asian kingdom of Brunei.

Beginning on April 3, any individuals found guilty of the offenses will be stoned to death, according to a new penal code. The punishment will be “witnessed by a group of Muslims.”

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Human rights groups were quick to express horror at the penal code, which will also order amputation as a punishment for theft.

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There was a broad international outcry when Brunei became the first country in the region to adopt sharia law in 2014, an Islamic legal system which outlines strict corporal punishments.

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In comparison to its neighbors, Brunei has grown conservative in recent years, including banning the sale of alcohol.

{snip} In announcing the change, government’s website quoted the Sultan saying that his government “does not expect other people to accept and agree with it, but that it would suffice if they just respect the nation in the same way that it also respects them.”