Actor George Clooney has continued to speak out about the death penalty faced by members of the LGBTIQ+ community in Brunei, despite the Sultan of Brunei announcing that the country would no longer subject gay people to death by stoning.
In a statement, Clooney said that while the Sultan's decision was a “huge step forward after a giant leap backwards”, the law to stone their citizens "is still in place”.
“[This means] that as soon as the pressure dies down they could simply start the process of carrying out executions. So in reference to the boycott everyone should do what they feel is correct.
“For my family and me we simply can’t walk away until this draconian law is no longer on the books.”
Highlighting the importance of banks and large financial institutions boycotting the country, Clooney said that the backlash had sent “a very crucial message to countries like Indonesia and Malaysia that there is a cost for enacting these laws.”
He added: “The financial institutions stepping up had a huge impact."
Following international criticism, the Sultan of Brunei announced over the weekend that the death penalty would no longer be imposed in the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code Order (SPCO).
"I am aware that there are many questions and misperceptions with regard to the implementation of the SPCO," he said.
"However, we believe that once these have been cleared, the merit of the law will be evident."
