Brunei has become the first East Asian country to adopt sharia law , despite widespread condemnation from international human rights groups . The Islamic criminal law is set to include punishments such as flogging , dismemberment and death by stoning for crimes such as rape , adultery and sodomy . The religious laws will operate alongside the existing civil penal code . During a ceremony Wednesday morning , the Sultan of Brunei , Hassanal Bolkiah , announced the commencement of the first phase of the sharia-based penal code , according to the government 's official website . The oil-rich kingdom , located on the island of Borneo , has a population of just 412,000 people . The country already follows a more conservative Islamic rule than neighboring Muslim-dominated countries like Indonesia and Malaysia , and has implemented strict religiously-motivated laws , such as the banning of the sale of alcohol . Stringent laws . In response to the new set of laws , human rights group Amnesty International said that it will `` take the country back to the dark ages . '' `` It ( the law ) makes a mockery of the country 's international human rights commitments and must be revoked immediately , '' Amnesty 's regional deputy director Rupert Abbott said in a statement released after the announcement . Most parts of the new Islamic code will apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims , affecting people from the Christian and Buddhist communities . Around 70 percent of people in Brunei are Malay Muslims , while the remainder of the population are of Chinese or other ethnic descent . The Sultan , who is also the Prime Minister , first announced the law in October 2013 . As per its provisions , sexual offenses such as rape , adultery and sodomy will be considered punishable acts for Muslims . Consensual sex between homosexuals will also be criminalized , with death by stoning the prescribed punishment . In announcing the implementation of sharia law , the government website quoted the Sultan as saying that his government `` does not expect other people to accept and agree with it , but that it would suffice if they just respect the nation in the same way that it also respects them . '' Widespread condemnation . LGBT advocacy groups in Asia have voiced their opposition to Brunei 's implementation of sharia law . `` It may open the floodgates for further human rights violations against women , children , and other people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity , '' officials from the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health ( APCOM ) and Islands of South East Asian Network on Male and Transgender Sexual Health ( ISEAN ) , said in a joint statement released last week . The United Nations has also publicly condemned the move . `` Under international law , stoning people to death constitutes torture or other cruel , inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is thus clearly prohibited , '' Rupert Colville , spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a press briefing in Geneva last month . Anti-women provisions . He further expressed concerns about the implementation of sharia law 's impact on women . `` A number of UN studies have revealed that women are more likely to be sentenced to death by stoning , due to deeply entrenched discrimination and stereotyping against them . '' More than 40,000 people have attended briefing sessions organized by the government in the last four months to understand the provisions under the new Islamic criminal law , the country 's religious affairs minister said during a ceremony to mark the laws ' implementation .
Indonesia has been the first East Asian country to adopt sharia law . The sharia - based criminal code will eventually include death by stoning . International human rights groups have publicly criticized the move .