Following Brunei’s implementation of strict sharia or Islamic laws that prescribe death by stoning and whipping for offences such as gay sex and adultery recently, condemnations have poured in thick and fast from many quarters around the world, including American celebrities George Clooney and Ellen DeGeneres. Last week, the University of Oxford announced that Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah had returned his honorary law degree after being told that the university was reviewing the award given to the 72-year-old in 1993. Clooney and DeGeneres also called on their supporters to boycott Brunei-owned luxury hotels around the world, while Western governments reportedly lobbied officials of the tiny, oil-rich nation behind the scenes to rescind the decision. On May 5, the sultan, in a speech to mark the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, said Brunei’s de facto moratorium on the death penalty, which had been in place for 20 years, would apply to the new laws. Later in the week, when Clooney appeared on a television show hosted by DeGeneres, she commented that “George got this started” – referring to the campaign against Brunei’s sharia laws. She then handed the floor to Clooney, who described the sultan’s announcement as “a huge step forward after this giant leap backwards”. He added: “It sends a warning shot over to countries like Indonesia and Malaysia – which are also considering these laws – that the businesspeople, the big banks, those guys are going to say ‘don’t even get into that business’.” Are the two celebrities’ interpretation of the developments in Brunei accurate? The answer is “no” – if we analyse the implications of the sultan’s statement. Firstly, upholding the de facto moratorium is not a huge step forward as it is being projected. While the sultan’s announcement may have been an attempt at placating critics, he merely stated that Brunei would keep its current track record of not having executed anyone since 1957. To be clear, no laws have been repealed on even amended. The moratorium remaining in place is purely at the sultan’s discretion. In his address, the sultan also said that Brunei would ratify the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT). The country, however, has been a UNCAT signatory since 2015, and the time frame and conditions associated with ratification – which will make the treaty binding on Brunei – remain unclear. Arguably, the sultan has said just enough to take the heat off Brunei, without supporting his words with tangible actions. How a Brunei travel ban upended life of gay activist Secondly, the new sharia laws also make adultery, theft and abortion punishable by death by stoning , amputation of limbs, and imprisonment respectively. However, the celebrities’ call to boycott Brunei-owned hotels has focused almost exclusively on the outrage at gay sex being punishable by death. The impact of the laws on the human rights of other segments of Bruneian society has been neglected in the celebrities’ campaign. Brunei, with a population of over 400,000 people, has been an absolute monarchy since 1962 and the laws are the latest additions to its long history of human rights violations. As an example, about 6 per cent of the Bruneian population is stateless, as ethnic and religious minorities are rarely granted citizenship. The sharia laws also have a disproportionate impact on women and religious minorities. Abortion is punishable by imprisonment and fine, and people are criminalised if they expose Muslim children to the beliefs and practices of any religion other than Islam. Yet, the focus of the celebrities’ boycott on gay sex and the death penalty has been replicated in much of the media coverage and responses by some international human rights organisations. Even the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQ advocacy organisation in the United States, issued a statement that failed to mention the penal code’s impact beyond LGBTQ people. West sends Brunei into China’s arms with outrage over anti-gay law Finally, it would be wrong to think Clooney got anything “started”. DeGeneres had also mentioned on her talk show that the boycott of Brunei-owned hotels had been going “on and off for a few years”. As Asian LGBTQ activists said after that episode of the Ellen show was broadcast, Western celebrities had not consistently taken up this cause – first reacting in 2014 months after the plan for the new sharia penal code was announced but then letting their campaign die down after that. Regional LGBTQ, feminist and human rights activists and organisations have been campaigning on the issue since October 2013, long before Clooney’s involvement. Through statements and sustained advocacy in various forums, including United Nations’ human rights mechanisms, regional activists have sought to amplify the voices of Bruneians and highlight the specifics of the laws, in terms of their impact on diverse sections of society and their context within Brunei’s history of human rights violations. Some Bruneians and regional activists also spoke against the boycott of Brunei-owned hotels. Their arguments ranged from the likely ineffectiveness of a boycott since most of Brunei’s revenues came from oil and gas, to how a high-profile international campaign would paint all Bruneians with the same brush. Other Bruneians even argued that international headlines reeked of neocolonialism, portraying their country as in need of Western saviours to protect them from a savage sultan. However, these voices were rarely highlighted in Western-led advocacy initiatives. When Clooney said the Brunei boycott sent “warning shots” to Indonesia and Malaysia, it was another example of the use of broad brush strokes, and a lack of appreciation for the distinct legal and social contexts in the region. LGBTQ activists from Malaysia and Indonesia responded to Clooney’s statement by highlighting the distinctions between Brunei and their countries, and how the statement could be counterproductive. And counterproductive it was. Anwar Ibrahim , Malaysia’s prime minister-in-waiting, responded to Clooney’s comments by asking “Why must Malaysia be dictated by the rest?” Malaysia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Yahya added that Clooney “should be more aware of what he is saying”. China embraced gay ‘marriage’ – until the West perverted history Asia’s human rights campaigners would benefit more if their global counterparts stood in solidarity with them and amplified their voices, rather than swooping in when new developments emerged to garner reactions from the international community. If Clooney and other celebrities are serious about supporting human rights, they will need to start by speaking to more people from the region. After all, it is people from the region who will have to live with the consequences of any actions once interest from the West eventually subsides. Regional activists have no need for saviours, only allies who are willing to place their voices at the forefront of any campaign. Suraj Girijashanker is a specialist in international refugee law. He was born and raised in Brunei