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<p>The Foreign Secretary spoke to Brunei’s Foreign Minister, Dato Erywan, on 4 April
to express the UK’s concerns about the impact of the Sharia Penal Code. On 11 April,
the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Asia and the Pacific met Dato Erywan and
the Finance Minister, Dato Amin Liew, in London. The Prime Minister wrote to His Majesty
The Sultan on 1 May. We welcome the assurances thereafter provided by the Sultan on
5 May. In particular, confirmation that the de facto moratorium on the death penalty
will apply to punishments under the Sharia Penal Code and the commitment to ratify
the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Following this announcement, the Minister
for Asia and the Pacific met Dato Erywan and Dato Amin Liew on 7 May. I also welcomed
these assurances during my meeting with the Minister of Transport and Infocommunications,
Dato Mutalib on 16 May.</p><p>The announcement by His Majesty the Sultan demonstrates
the importance of engaging in respectful dialogue and diplomacy to address sensitive
issues. The assurances provided by the Sultan are positive and go some way to addressing
our anxieties about the human rights situation in Brunei. We urge Brunei to build
on these assurances and formalise its commitment to respect individual freedoms and
minorities.</p>
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