US: Oscars party moved from Brunei-owned hotel over ‘stone the gays’ laws
The Oscars ‘Night Before’ party will no longer be held at the Brunei-owned Beverly Hills Hotel, after the country enacted a law calling for homosexuals to be stoned to death.
The law, which began to be phased in last week, replaces the maximum ten-year prison sentence for homosexuality with death by stoning in the Islamic state.
The move has led to boycotts of luxury hotel chain the Dorchester Collection, which is owned by Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei.
The Motion Picture & Television Fund, which hosts the annual star-studded event, told the Hollywood Reporter that it will no longer be held at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
A statement from the company said: “Representatives of MPTF met with the leadership of the Dorchester Collection and executives from The Beverly Hills Hotel to convey our deep concern about the recent enactment of laws in Brunei that call for violent punishment, including amputation and death by stoning, against those engaging in same-sex activity and extramarital sexual relations, and those committing adultery.
“We expressed very clearly that we cannot condone or tolerate these harsh and repressive laws and as a result support a business owned by the Sultan of Brunei or a Brunei sovereign fund associated with the government of Brunei.”
The Dorchester Collection said previously: “We continue to abide by the laws of the countries we operate in and do not tolerate any form of discrimination of any kind. ”
“The laws that exist in other countries outside of where Dorchester Collection operates do not affect the policies that govern how we run our hotels.”
On Saturday, Virgin boss Richard Branson announced a company-wide boycott of the hotel chain, while celebrities including Stephen Fry, Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Osbourne have all urged for businesses to distance themselves from the chain.