[CTC] Sen. Baldwin takes aim at Brunei’s anti-gay laws

[Arthur Stamoulis]

POLITICO
Sen. Baldwin takes aim at Brunei’s anti-gay laws
 
5/19/15 2:08 PM EDT
Sen. Tammy Baldwin has offered an amendment to a trade promotion authority bill that would strip “fast track” protection for any trade deals with countries that criminalize homosexuality.

The measure is one of nearly 150 amendments that have been filed to the trade bill, but Republican and Democratic leaders are currently in talks to limit the number that would receive votes.

Brunei, one of the 12 countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal, announced last year that it was implementing a tough Islamic penal code <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27216798> over the next three years that mandates harsh punishments for homosexuality. The measure has already helped galvanize opposition to the proposed TPP pact.

Baldwin’s amendment would bar fast-track procedures for trade agreements with any country that “criminalizes homosexuality or persecutes or otherwise punishes individuals on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity,” as identified by the State Department in its annual human rights report.

— Doug Palmer


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