Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Sunday extended a moratorium on the death penalty to incoming legislation prohibiting gay sex, seeking to temper a global backlash led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John.
Some crimes already command the death penalty in Brunei, including premeditated murder and drug trafficking, but no executions have been carried out since 1957.
"I am aware that there are many questions and misperceptions with regard to the implementation of the SPCO. However, we believe that once these have been cleared, the merit of the law will be evident," the sultan said in a speech ahead of the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. "As evident for more than two decades, we have practiced a de facto moratorium on the execution of death penalty for cases under the common law. This will also be applied to cases under the SPCO which provides a wider scope for remission.""Step into right direction, but definitely not enough," tweeted Renate Künast, a former German cabinet minister and a member of the Green Party."The power of activism can help create change, but the fight isn’t over.
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