New law in Brunei announced

A new law which goes into effect next week will have several punishments including adultery resulting in 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 code of law. According to the rules, the punishment will be “witnessed by a group of Muslims.” Although the country's strict new laws were announced in 2014, and have been rolled out gradually, the latest phase of implementation was announced on the Brunei attorney general's website on December 29, 2018. Human rights groups were quick to express horror at the code, which will also order amputation as a punishment for theft. It is an example of sharia law which is an Islamic legal system and outlines strict corporal punishments the country wishes to enforce. The tiny, oil-rich kingdom of just over 450,000 people is located on the island of Borneo, close to the moderate Islamic nations of Indonesia and Malaysia. Brunei has grown conservative in recent years, including banning the sale of alcohol. The Sultan of Brunei, who also acts as the country's prime minister, was quoted as 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."

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