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Article

25 May 2019

Author:
Thomson Reuters Foundation, South China Morning Post

Sultan of Brunei returns honorary Oxford degree after backlash against death penalty for gay sex and adultery

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24 May 2019

Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has returned an honorary degree awarded by Britain’s Oxford University after a global backlash led by celebrities including George Clooney and Elton John for proposing the death penalty for gay sex and adultery.

Nearly 120,000 people had signed a petition by April calling on Oxford University to rescind the honorary law degree awarded in 1993 to the sultan....

Oxford University said the sultan had decided to hand back the honorary degree...while it was reviewing its decision to award it....

...The country sparked an outcry when it rolled out its interpretation of Islamic laws...punishing sodomy, adultery and rape with death, including by stoning.

...The law, which the United Nations condemned, had prompted celebrities and rights groups to seek a boycott on hotels owned by the sultan, including the Dorchester in London and the Beverley Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.

Several multinational companies have since put a ban on staff using the sultan’s hotels, while some travel companies have stopped promoting Brunei as a tourist destination....

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