When the Sultan of Brunei last week announced a moratorium on the much-condemned death penalty for gay sex, some hailed the move as a major advance. But inside the tiny South-East Asian nation, members of the LGBT community says there is little reason to celebrate - and much still to fear.
In an interview with the Telegraph, one gay man, who asked to be identified only as 'M', warned that the apparent turnaround would only be temporary. The moratorium declared following an international backlash was "for appearances only," he said, a "performative" reprieve adopted in part due to Ramadan.
Once the religious season was over, M said, he expected the death penalty would be reinstated. And even if it was not, he said, "it's a living hell here either way."
The sultan drew global condemnation over the Shariah penal code, which mandates punishments including death by stoning for sex outside marriage and anal sex; amputation of limbs for theft; and 40 lashes for lesbian sex. After protests led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John and calls to boycott his luxury hotels, the authoritarian leader said a moratorium on the death penalty observed by Brunei for two decades would also be applied to the new laws. [The Telegraph] Read more
