,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #aih  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #i1  
#bjai,mr4 ,durbin 7for himself1 ,mr4    
,young1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,rubio1    
,mr4 ,van ,hollen1 ,mrs4 ,feinstein1    
,mr4 ,leahy1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4         
,sanders1 ,mr4 ,booker1 ,mr4 ,merkley1  
,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,cruz1 ,mrs4    
,shaheen1 and ,mr4 ,markey7 submitted   
the following resolution2 which was     
referred to the ,committee on ,foreign  
,relations  ,july #i1 #bjai,reported by 
,mr4 ,risch1 with an amendment and an   
amendment to the preamble  ,july #af1   
#bjai;,considered1 amended1 and agreed  
to with an amended preamble             
,,resolution  ,condemning ,brunei's     
dramatic human rights backsliding4      
,whereas ,brunei has been led since     
#aifg by one of the world's             
longest-reigning monarchs1 ,sultan ,haji
 ,hassanal ,bolkiah2 ,whereas ,brunei   
gained independence in #aihd2 ,whereas  
emergency powers in place in ,brunei    

since #aifb allow the sultan to govern  
with few limitations to his authority2  
,whereas1 according to the ,united      
,states ,department of ,state #bjah     
,human ,rights ,report1 human rights    
issues in ,brunei included censorship1  
interferences with the rights of        
peaceful assembly and freedom of        
association1 crimes involving violence  
or threats targeting homosexuality1 and 
exploitation of foreign workers1        
including through forced labor2 ,whereas
 ,brunei's media are neither free nor   
diverse1 with broadcasting dominated by 
the state and private media owned or    
controlled by the royal family2 ,whereas
 homosexuality has been illegal in      
,brunei1 carrying a punishment of up to 
ten years in prison2 ,whereas in #bjac1 
the ,government of ,brunei announced it 
was imposing a revised penal code that  
included harsher punishments of death by
 stoning for adultery and homosexual    
relations2 ,whereas international       
condemnation resulted in a delay in     

carrying out the provisions2 ,whereas1  
in ,march #bjai1 the ,government of     
,brunei announced it was going forward  
with the penal code to take effect      
,april #c1 #bjai2 ,whereas the penal    
code includes1 among other things1 death
 by stoning for male same-sex relations1
 adultery1 and blasphemy1 amputation of 
limbs for theft1 whipping for female    
same-sex relations1 and criminalization 
of exposure of children to the beliefs  
and practices of differing religions2   
,whereas1 on ,april #b1 #bjai1 the      
,department of ,state said ,brunei's new
 penal code and associated penalties run
 counter to its international human     
rights obligations including with       
respect to torture or other cruel1      
inhuman or degrading treatment or       
punishment2 ,whereas1 on ,april #ah1    
#bjai1 the ,european ,parliament adopted
 a resolution strongly condemning       
,brunei for introducing retrograde laws1
 calling for their immediate repeal1    
urging that ,brunei uphold its          

international obligations under         
international human rights instruments1 
including with regard to sexual         
minorities1 religious minorities and    
non-believers1 and suggesting visa bans 
and asset freezes should the penal code 
not be repealed2 ,whereas the ,united   
,nations and international human rights 
organizations have denounced the penal  
code1 arguing it amounts to torture and 
a violation of human rights2 ,whereas   
,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for
 ,human ,rights ,michelle ,bachelet     
urged ,brunei to repeal the penal code1 
noting the punishments proscribed as    
cruel1 inhuman1 and degrading and       
calling the code a serious setback for  
human rights protections2 ,whereas      
,human ,rights ,watch stated1 ,brunei's 
new penal code is barbaric to the core1 
imposing archaic punishments for acts   
that shouldn't even be crimes4 '''      
,sultan ,hassanal should immediately    
suspend amputations1 stoning1 and all   
other rights-abusing provisions and     

punishments42 ,whereas ,amnesty         
,international stated1 ,brunei's ,penal 
,code is a deeply flawed piece of       
legislation containing a range of       
provisions that violate human rights4   
''' ,as well as imposing cruel1 inhuman 
and degrading punishments1 it blatantly 
restricts the rights to freedom of      
expression1 religion and belief1 and    
codifies discrimination against women   
and girls42 and ,whereas the ,joint     
,united ,nations ,program on            
,,hiv_/,,aids 7,,unaids7 ,executive     
,director ,michel ,sidib stated that the
 implementation of this discriminatory  
penal code will drive people underground
 and out of reach of life-saving ,,hiv  
treatment and prevention services1 and  
,,unaids and the ,united ,nations       
,population ,fund noted these kinds of  
laws increase stigma1 and give license  
to discrimination1 violence1 and        
harassment3 ,now1 therefore1 be it      
,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 condemns the   
,government of ,brunei's further        

criminalization and barbaric punishments
 regarding sexual orientation1 adultery1
 and relations between persons of the   
same sex2  7#b7 calls on the ,government
 of ,brunei to expeditiously repeal the 
#bjac penal code2 and  7#c7 supports the
 withdrawal and denial of ,united       
,states visas for any ,brunei official  
responsible for passage or              
implementation of such penal code and   
related laws until they are repealed4