Overview of Human Rights in Brunei

Brunei Darussalam is an Islamic country which has been ruled by the same family for more than 600 years. While it is an extremely wealthy country, Brunei's human rights record is marred by its lack of respect for its citizen’s civil liberties. The government controls all aspects of citizens lives in Brunei. For example, there are no freedoms of speech, press, assembly, or association, and severe restrictions are put on religious freedoms and labor rights. Dissent against the government will lead to arrest and prolonged detention. Citizens also have no effective way of peaceably changing the government.  Recently, Brunei was criticized by the human rights group, Amnesty International, for its laws on corporal punishment.  At issue were reports claiming that scores of  foreigners were beaten for immigration offences. Since 2004, the country has had in place strict immigration legislation oriented to curb migrant workers from staying in Brunei.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

34th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.