More than 40 preeminent business figures have declared their opposition to capital punishment and joined the Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty campaign.
They join a growing list of global executives who have declared their support for the campaign since it was launched by Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson at South by Southwest Festival in March – united in their belief that the death penalty is cruel, wasteful, ineffective, discriminatory, and unacceptably error prone. Sandro Salsano, president of Italian conglomerate Salsano Group, wrote:
“The death penalty is a brutal and discriminatory institution that must be confined to history. I’m proud to join the global business leaders working to make capital punishment a relic of a crueller past.”
COO of Facebook and the Founder of Leanin.org, Sheryl Sandberg, emphasized capital punishment being racist in practice. “I oppose the death penalty because it is cruel and disproportionately impacts people and communities of color” she said. “We can build a more just future by ending the death penalty and reforming our broken criminal justice system.”
IMAGINE chair and former Unilever CEO Paul Polman emphasized the need for businesses to step up and embrace their responsibilities when it comes to social justice, saying:
“As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s more critical than ever that business leaders demonstrate a strong moral compass and show courage in the fight against racism, cruelty and oppression. By speaking out against the death penalty, we wholeheartedly embrace that responsibility.”
Support for death penalty has been declining the world over, with over 170 UN member states having abolished it in law or practice. AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes highlighted ongoing global abolition efforts, including those in his home country of Malaysia:
“The death penalty, in all of its oppressive cruelty, should be have been confined to history a long time ago. Yet it persists around the world – including right here in ASEAN. We must do everything in our power to end it, and I am proud to join the business voices speaking out against this barbaric law.”
The campaign is being coordinated by the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, and has rapidly gathered momentum in the weeks since its launch. Branson stressed the increasing engagement of the corporate community, as well as how crucial their involvement is:
“Business has a critical role to play in this debate. When entrepreneurs and investors speak up, policy makers will listen. We have massive platforms, and we should use them to protect human rights and protect social justice…Consumers, employees, and investors demand companies take stands on causes they believe in, if they want to earn or keep their trust.”
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