Brunei says it now won’t enforce death penalty for gay sex

They appear to have changed their stance on the subject

Just over a month ago, the news emerged that Asian country Brunei were to introduce death by stoning as punishment for gay sex. The southeast Asian island nation also said that they were going to bring in amputation for those found guilty of theft under Sharia law. But it now appears that they have changed their stance on the subject, with reports suggesting that the nation now won't enforce the death penalty for people found to have had gay sex. According to Sky News, the sultan Hassanal Bolkiah gave a rare response to the criticism on Sunday. He said: "I am aware that there are many questions and misperceptions with regards to the implementation of the (new law). "However, we believe that once these have been cleared, the merit of the law will be evident. "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 (new law) which provides a wider scope for remission." The original decision came in for massive criticism, with high-profile figures like George Clooney and Elton John among those who were vocal in their outrage.