Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Sunday extended a moratorium on the death penalty to incoming legislation prohibiting gay sex, seeking to temper a global backlash led by celebrities such as George Clooney and Elton John.

In a rare response to criticism aimed at the oil-rich state, the sultan said in a speech ahead of the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that the death penalty would not be imposed in the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code Order (SPCO).