Page - 374 - in Menschenrechte und Gerechtigkeit als bleibende Aufgaben - Beiträge aus Religion, Theologie, Ethik, Recht und Wirtschaft

© 2020, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen ISBN Print: 9783847111658 – ISBN E-Lib: 9783737011655 orcruel, inhumananddegradingtreatmentorpunishmentcouldfocus‘moreon prevention’ and aim to ‘rehabilitate and nurture’ should be relegated to the domainofpurefiction.Someoftheseclaimsare,ontheotherhand,attemptsto splithairs:WhiletheSPCOmaynotexplicitlycriminaliseaperson’sstatusbased onsexualorientationbyitself, itcertainlycriminalisesallhumanbeingswhoact on their sexual orientation by having sexual intercourse in the realm of their private life. Furthermore, the reliance on confessions of the accused for the impositionofhaddpunishments is itsownkindofevil, as themandate-holders pointout in their communication:This substantially “increases the riskof tor- ture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and, therefore,isincompatiblewiththeobligationundercustomaryinternationallaw toprevent suchabuse.”78 Followinganinternationaloutcryandsignificantmediacoverage, theSultan hassinceannouncedinatelevisedspeechthatthedeathpenalty imposedunder thenew lawswouldnot be enforcedand the existingde-factomoratoriumex- tended to the new SPCO.79However, as the former Special Rapporteur on ex- trajudicial, summaryorarbitraryexecutions,PhilipAlston,rightlypointedout, evenif thesentenceisnevercarriedout, themerepossibility that itcanthreaten theaccusedforyearsuntiloverturnedorcommutedconstitutesaformofcruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Assurances that an offence whichcontinuestoberecognizedbythelawwillneverbeappliedinpracticeare neitherjustifiednorconvincing.Theveryexistenceofsuchlawsinvitesabuseby individuals.80 3. Conclusions ThecasestudyofBrunei’sSyariahPenalCodeillustratesthatwhengovernments declare a State religion and impose in the 21st century religious criminal laws whichweredraftedby religious leadersmanyhundreds of years ago in totally differenthistoricalcontexts,suchlawsareusually inconflictwithcontemporary humanrightsstandards.Internationalhumanrightslaw,whichdevelopedbythe UnitedNations and regional organisations in reaction to theHolocaust in the courseofthesecondhalfofthe20thcentury, is inspiredbytheconceptofhuman 78 SpecialProcedures joint communication,p. 3f. 79 Nile Bowie,Western boycotts soften Brunei’s sharia law, see: https://www.asiatimes.com/ 2019/05/article/western-boycotts-soften-bruneis-sharia-law/,7May2019(accessedonMay 20th2019). 80 Philip Alston, Report of the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary ExecutionstotheUnitedNationsCommissiononHumanRightsof7January2006,E/CN.4/ 2006/53/Add.4,para35. ManfredNowak/Anna-MariaSteiner374 Open-Access-Publikation im Sinne der CC-Lizenz BY 4.0