BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) – Beverly Hills officials have condemned Brunei’s strict new Islamic criminal laws and want its government to separate itself from the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The city council’s unanimous resolution last night calls for the tiny Southeast Asian nation to change its laws or divest its ownership of the iconic property.
Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah owns the Beverly Hills Hotel, which has been the target of a growing Hollywood boycott since Brunei embraced its new penal code last week. Under the new law, adultery, abortion and same-sex relationships are serious offenses punishable by flogging and stoning.
A growing number of Hollywood groups have relocated events traditionally held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in protest. The International Women’s Media Foundation and Barbara Davis Carousel of Hope are the latest to join the boycott.
