PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Brunei: LGBT+ People (16 May 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2019 to Question 250501 on Brunei: LGBT People, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Brunei on revoking in their entirety the anti-LGBT laws in that country.

Asked by:
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour)

The UK is committed to the principle of non-discrimination on any grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people. The Foreign Secretary and I have made that position clear through public and parliamentary statements and in conversations with the Government of Brunei.

We welcomed assurances provided by The Sultan of Brunei on 5 May regarding the implementation of phase 3 of the Sharia Penal Code. His Majesty confirmed that the de facto moratorium on the death penalty will apply to punishments under the Sharia Penal Code and has committed to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Torture. The assurances provided by the Sultan go some way to addressing our anxieties about the human rights situation in Brunei. We have urged Brunei to build on these assurances and formalise its commitment to respect individual freedoms and minorities. We echoed this message in the UK's statement at Brunei's Universal Periodic Review on 10 May.

Answered by:
Mark Field (Conservative)
24 May 2019