Is apostasy illegal in Brunei?
Death penalty possible
Apostasy is a capital crime under Brunei's Syariah Penal Code, enforceable since 2019.
Brunei is one of 10 countries classified “Death penalty possible” for apostasy — 32% of the 31 with data. (Also searched as leaving a religion.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Apostasy in Islam by country
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Indonesia
- Criminal offense Apostasy is prosecuted under blasphemy laws in Indonesia, leading to imprisonment for declaring atheism.
- Bangladesh
- Legal Apostasy is not a criminal offense in Bangladesh, though social persecution occurs.
- India
- Legal No federal law criminalizes apostasy in India, though social hostility exists.
- Maldives
- Death penalty possible A new regulation revived the death penalty for apostasy, applicable to persons aged seven and older.
- Pakistan
- Criminal offense Apostasy is a criminal offence under hudood law per the Federal Shariat Court, despite lack of statutory enactment.
- Afghanistan
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is a crime punishable by death under Hanafi jurisprudence applied by Afghan courts.
Other laws in Brunei
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Conversion Therapy
- No ban
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.