The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, has returned an honorary degree awarded by Britain’s Oxford University after international backlash for proposing the death penalty for gay sex. Nearly 120,000 people have signed a petition calling on the University to rescind the honorary degree of civil law awarded in 1993 to the sultan. “In the light of concerns about the new Penal Code in Brunei, the University opened a review of the decision to award an honorary degree to His Majesty The Sultan of Brunei,” Stephen Rouse, the head of university communications told Fox News in a statement. “As part of the review process, the University wrote to notify the Sultan on 26 April 2019, asking for his views by 7 June 2019. The United Nations has called the laws “draconian” while the U.S. and several other countries have urged Brunei to halt its plans.

Source: Fox News May 24, 2019 16:52 UTC