Brunei has a new law: death by stoning for gay sex

The kingdom of Brunei has instituted a law that will punish gay people for having sex by stoning them to death.

From The Independent:

New laws due to come into effect next Wednesday will see the tiny kingdom become the first nation in southeast Asia to impose the death penalty for those found engaging in same-sex intercourse.

Homosexuality was already illegal and carried a long jail sentence in Brunei. However, the country is in the process of introducing a sharia law-style system for criminal punishment.

Human rights groups have denounced the move, including Amnesty International, which described the new punishments as "heinous" and "inhumane".

Image of Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah: imagemaker/Shutterstock