Sir Elton John has backed George Clooney's call to boycott hotels owned by Brunei, following new laws that make gay sex punishable by death.

The laws, which come into force on 3 April, mean anyone found guilty of homosexual sex or adultery in the tiny southeast Asian country could be stoned or whipped to death.

Sir Elton praised Clooney "for taking a stand against the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry taking place in the nation of #Brunei – a place where gay people are brutalized, or worse – by boycotting the Sultan's hotels".

Here are the hotels to boycott:

The Dorchester, London
45 Park Lane, London
Coworth Park, UK
The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills
Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
Le Meurice, Paris
Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris
Hotel Eden, Rome
Hotel Principe di Savoia, Mi

Elton xx

— Elton John (@eltonofficial) March 30, 2019

He tweeted a list of the hotels owned by Brunei's investment agency, including The Dorchester on London's Park Lane.

Brunei has been governed by Islamic Sharia law since 2014 and its sultan, one of the world's richest men, is all powerful.

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"Our hearts go out to the good, hardworking employees of properties owned by the Sultan of Brunei, many of whom we know to be gay," said Sir Elton.

Image: The sultan is believed to be one of the world's richest men
The Dorchester Hotel is one of the hotels owned by the Brunei Investment Agency
Image: The Dorchester Hotel in London is one of the hotels owned by the Brunei Investment Agency

His statement added: "We recognise that sovereign countries will make decisions for their own citizens.

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"But we feel we must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable. We must never underestimate the power of our voices – and our actions – to spark the change we need to see."

The English star's call follows Clooney's appeal earlier this week on the Deadline entertainment website.

Clooney wrote: "Every single time we stay at or take meetings at or dine at any of these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery."

George Clooney has called for a boycott of nine Brunei-owned hotels
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