Sultan of Brunei’s Beverly Hills Hotel Boycotted Over Rights Issues
Looming penalties for homosexuality, adultery and other sharia-law crimes in the oil-rich nation of Brunei sparked a protest Monday in front of the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel and are expected to draw formal condemnation from the City Council.
The Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air are part of the Dorchester Collection of properties owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, an arm of the Brunei government, which has come under widespread criticism since Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah last week announced the new criminal code based on sharia law.
Under the first phase of the new legal code introduced last week, fines and jail terms can be imposed for failing to attend Friday prayers, indecent behavior and pregnancies outside of marriage. A second phase later this year prescribes the severing of limbs and flogging for property crimes.
The third phase set for late 2015 will allow for death by stoning for crimes including adultery and gay sex.
Several groups and prominent public figures have since pledged to boycott the hotels until the Malaysia-adjacent country changes its laws or relinquishes its ownership.
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