Richard Branson launches campaign to end the death penalty around the world

New York, USA (CNN) – Virgin Group founder, Richard Branson, has called for a permanent end to the death penalty worldwide, calling on more business leaders to join him in his campaign.

The 70-year-old British billionaire announced a new campaign to rally support for the abolition of the death penalty in a hypothetical event on Thursday.

During the pre-recorded session, Branson said, “I have always believed that the death penalty is brutal and inhuman and that governments should not execute their people. Businesses and their leaders should bypass their companies and be a push for the good in society. , Including the death penalty. “

Branson also unveiled a statement to end the death penalty signed by 19 prominent business leaders, including Ben & Jerry founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, and Huffington Post co-founder Ariana Huffington.

Over the next 7 months, Branson’s campaign will urge more global business leaders to sign the statement and support efforts to end the execution. An updated list of the two signatories will be unveiled on the International Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October.

Other leaders who signed the declaration include Alessandro Bogliolo, former CEO of Tiffany & Co., Founder of Mobile Systems International, Mo Ibrahim, CEO of 23andME, Anna Wojcicki, and Founder of Vista Equity Partners, Robert Smith.

The statement said that abolishing the death penalty is “a moral imperative that all humankind must support.” It also describes the practice as a form of severe, racist, inhuman and extreme punishment.

United Nations reports indicate that 170 of its 193 member states have already abolished or suspended the practice of state-sponsored executions. Even Russia has not carried out any official state execution since 1996, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.

The United States is one of the few member states of the United Nations that has not abolished the death penalty, although recent opinion polls indicate that Americans’ support for ending the practice has reached historic levels.