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@katiecouric : A harsh new criminal law in Brunei went into effect today - creating upset across the globe. Beginning today, extramarital sex, anal sex, and abortion are to be punished by death by stoning. The death penalty will also be required for other offenses including rape and some forms of blasphemy or heresy - like ridiculing the Quran or insulting the Prophet Muhammed. The law requires amputation of a hand or foot for some crimes, and whipping for others. The punishment for lesbian sex, which was previously imprisonment and a fine, is now 40 lashes. Brunei is a tiny monarchy on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It has a population of just 430,000 but tremendous oil wealth, making the sultan (who is also Brunei’s prime minister) Hassanal Bolkiah one of the wealthiest people on earth. “Brunei’s new penal code is barbaric to the core, imposing archaic punishments for acts that shouldn’t even be crimes,” Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director fo Human Rights Watch said in a statement. In a statement released on Saturday, Bolkiah’s office said “Brunei is a sovereign Islamic and fully independent country, and, like all other independent countries, enforces its own rule of laws. Shariah, apart from criminalizing and deterring acts that are against the teachings of Islam also aims to educate, respect and protect the legitimate rights of all individuals, society or nationality of any faiths and race.” George Clooney, @theellenshow, and @eltonjohn are among many who have called for a boycott of several luxury hotels owned by Brunei - which include the Hotel Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel in LA and the Dorchester in London. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this deeply upsetting story below. #thebigstory #wednesday #news #brunei #lgbt #lgbtq