Sunday, October 10, 2021

Tony Fernandes(Air Asia) amongst 150 business leaders calling for abolition of the death penalty

It was encouraging when we saw that Tony Fernandes(Air Asia) of Malaysia was one of the 150 prominent business personality that publicly called for the abolition of the death penalty

Tony Fernandes.

“The death penalty, in all of its oppressive cruelty, should 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.”

Tony Fernandes is the Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Group and the Chairman and Founder of Tune Group. - #BvDP webpage

See earlier post:- 

BN, PH Plus and BN-PN-GPS governments and the Abolition of Death Penalty in Malaysia - 10/10/2021 (World Day against The Death Penalty)

More than 150 global business leaders call for end of death penalty

Declaration, part of the Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty campaign, first launched in March by Sir Richard Branson

The entrance to the ‘death chamber’ at the Texas department of criminal justice Huntsville unit.
The entrance to the ‘death chamber’ at the Texas department of criminal justice Huntsville unit. Photograph: Paul Buck/AFP via Getty Images

Last modified on Thu 7 Oct 2021 14.53 BST


More than 150 global business leaders have signed a declaration calling for the end of the death penalty around the world and criticizing capital punishment for perpetuating inequality.

The declaration, part of the Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty campaign, was first launched in March at the virtual South by Southwest festival by Sir Richard Branson, one of the campaign’s founders. Initial signatories included the billionaire fashion mogul Francois-Henri Pinault, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s, Arianna Huffington, and the leaders of Unilever and Bayer.

Ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October, the campaign announced on Thursday that over 100 additional signatories have signed the declaration. Among the new signatories are Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, and Sally Jewell, former US secretary of the interior and former chief executive of recreational goods company REI.

“As an irreversible and extreme form of punishment, the death penalty is inhumane, and it is irreconcilable with human dignity. Its worldwide abolition is a moral imperative that all of humanity should support,” reads the declaration.

More than 170 UN member states have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. In the US, 23 states have outlawed the death penalty and four have moratoriums on executions. Over a dozen have not used the death penalty in years.

While executions have become rare in the United States, a handful still happen every year. Seventeen people were executed in 2020, including 10 people who were executed on federal charges. This year has seen seven executions to date, including the execution of Ernest Johnson in Missouri on 5 October despite pleas for clemency, including from Pope Francis.

Celia Ouellette, the chief executive of the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, a nonprofit who helped coordinate the campaign, said she hopes the new batch of signatories will give momentum to campaigns to end the death penalty in the US.

“The controversiality of the death penalty has been massively reduced,” Ouellette said. “The death penalty used to be this very politically touchy subject that people would run away from as fast as they could.”

Activists against the death penalty have been focusing on pressuring Joe Biden to follow up on his campaign promise of passing legislation that would end the death penalty at the federal level. While Biden’s justice department reinstated the moratorium on all federal executions, which the Trump administration had previously lifted to carry out a wave of controversial executions, the president has so far not taken further action to address the death penalty.

“We’ve yet to see any kind of meaningful and enduring action come out of his administration,” Ouellette said. “Not executing people now doesn’t mean that the next president will not execute people.”

While there has been little legislation on the federal level, state governments have been for years slowly outlawing the death penalty, particularly as ending capital punishment has become an increasingly bipartisan issue. Most recently, Virginia became the first southern state to ban the death penalty in February. Similar legislation is currently going through the state legislatures in Utah and Ohio.

“I have a lot of hope in our state that we’re going to end the death penalty,” said John Rush, a business owner based in Columbus, Ohio, and one of the new signatories to the campaign. “It’s extremely important that the momentum be kept up by the business community … to kind of keep pushing the momentum forward.” - Guardian, 7/10/2021



  • 150+ Business Leaders Speak Out Against the Death Penalty, Joining Branson Campaign as Abolition Gains Momentum

    New Business Signatories Announced by Campaign Ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty

    Published 10-07-21

    Submitted by Responsible Business Initiative for Justice

    NEW YORK, OCTOBER 7, 2021/CSRwire/ - More than 150 business leaders have declared their support for a global campaign to end capital punishment, ahead of World Day Against the Death Penalty (October 10).

    The Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty campaign (declaration and list of signatories below) was launched by Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) earlier this year. It decries capital punishment as cruel, ineffective, discriminatory and unacceptably error-prone - and urges governments everywhere to end the practice. Branson writes:

    "The growing support for this campaign shows that business leaders increasingly recognize they must be a force for the greater good of society. By speaking out against the death penalty, they take a stand against one of the most egregious injustices of our time. The voice of business will be critical to end the death penalty once and for all.”

    Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson
    Virgin Group Founder Richard Branson

    The death penalty is at a tipping point. President Biden’s moratorium on federal executions, as well as successful abolition efforts in Sierra Leone, Malawi, Kazakhstan, and the U.S. state of Virginia, underscore a global trend towards abolition. Support for ending the death penalty has never been higher - and reformers are poised to deliver lasting change. At this critical moment, the support of employers and investors can help drive abolition campaigns over the line.

    Never before have leaders from the business community united against capital punishment, and the groundswell of support for the campaign marks an ongoing and fundamental shift in the way many view their roles – and responsibilities – when it comes to social and criminal justice issues. Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, writes:

    "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.”

    Since its launch at South by Southwest Festival, the campaign has attracted a diverse group of supporters from a wide range of sectors, countries, and cultures. They share a fundamental commitment to racial equality, public safety, fiscal responsibility, and human rights - all critical issues in the capital punishment debate. As Galaxy Digital founder Mike Novogratz points out:

    “Governments should prioritize saving lives, not ending them, and it is mission critical that we embrace our responsibility to end ineffective policies like the death penalty now.”

    Building on this momentum, the group will deploy business voices at critical tipping points in specific campaigns – bringing powerful new allies to call out executions, support reforms, and inspire action - in close collaboration with movement leaders on the ground. RBIJ CEO Celia Ouellette explained:

    “Lawmakers and decision makers should be paying attention - business leaders are wading into the fray and demanding an end to capital punishment. There's a new incentive for ending the death penalty: abolition is good for business.”

    Responsible Business Initiative for Justice founder and CEO Celia Ouellette
    Responsible Business Initiative for Justice founder and CEO Celia Ouellette

    Note to editors

    For further information, please contact Ben Cumming (Communications Director, Responsible Business Initiative for Justice):
    ben@responsiblebusinessinitiative.org
    +44 7891551514 / +1 213 370 0222
    #BizVsDP
    @RBI_Justice
    Website: BusinessAgainstDeathPenalty.org

    Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty Declaration

    We stand united in our belief in a fairer and more equitable world, the rule of law, and universal human rights. As an irreversible and extreme form of punishment, the death penalty is inhumane, and it is irreconcilable with human dignity. Its worldwide abolition is a moral imperative that all of humanity should support.

    We can no longer stay silent on issues of inequality, and no issue is more intricately tied to the racial and socio-economic biases that permeate justice systems than the death penalty. In many countries, ethnic minorities and the poor are still more likely to be prosecuted, sentenced to death, and ultimately executed. The abolition of capital punishment is a critical step in the movement toward racial and social equality.

    We are committed to making our communities safer. The death penalty does not make communities safer and it does not address the root causes of crime. Nor does it serve as a deterrent. Statistics show that US states with the death penalty have higher murder rates than those without. This is consistent with international findings showing that countries that have abolished capital punishment experienced a decline in murder rates over time. We can no longer afford to jeopardize the safety of our communities by perpetuating a culture of violence and revenge.

    We recognize the danger of executing innocent people. In the US for every eight people executed, one innocent person has been exonerated. By all accounts, the true number of innocent people who continue to languish on death row - or who have been executed - is much higher. Any system with an error rate this high Is broken beyond repair.

    We believe, now more than ever, that we must be responsible with public finances. The death penalty is a wasteful and ineffective misallocation of public resources. To maintain the broken system of capital punishment, some governments divert millions of dollars every year from critical public health and safety initiatives, from infrastructure development, and from education - missing crucial opportunities to build social stability and strengthen communities.

    But there is progress. More than 170 UN Member States have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Half of all US states have abolished the death penalty or stopped executions. The tide is turning, and now it is the responsibility of business leaders to speak up and stand together on the right side of history. It is time to end this cruelty once and for all.

    Where the death penalty still exists, we urge government leaders to legally commute death sentences, to impose moratoria on executions and to support legislative or ballot initiatives to end capital punishment for good.

    We commit to using our voices and our reach as business leaders to support ending the death penalty everywhere, beginning with signing this declaration.

    RBIJ logo

    List of Signatories (as of 6pm ET, 10.06.2021)

    RICHARD BRANSON
    Founder, Virgin Group

    ADEEL SAEED
    CEO, Adeel Saeed

    ALAN JOPE
    CEO, Unilever

    ALESSANDRO BOGLIOLO
    Former CEO, Tiffany & Co.

    ALEX LOVE
    Founder and CEO, Alex Love Consulting, LLC

    ALI NIAZ,
    Co-Founder, BPureSounds

    ALICE DYSON
    COO, ONE MEDIA IP LTD

    ALLAN W MOSKOWITZ
    CEO, Transformative Wealth Management, LLC

    ALPA PATEL
    Founder and CEO, 9th House

    AMANDA PACQUETTE
    Director, Business2Technology

    AMIT AMIN
    Partner, Amit & Naroop

    ANDERS HOLCH POVLSEN
    CEO, BESTSELLER

    ANDRÉ HOFFMAN

    ANDREW N. LIVERIS
    Former Chairman and CEO, Dow Chemical | Founder, Liveris Academy for Leadership and Innovation

    ANNE WOJCICKI
    Co-Founder and CEO, 23andMe, Inc.

    ARIANNA HUFFINGTON
    Founder and CEO, Thrive Global | Co-founder, The Huffington Post

    ATITI SOSIMI
    CEO, Eyato London

    BEN COHEN
    Co-founder, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

    BERT JACOBS
    CEO, LIFE IS GOOD

    BRAD S. KARP
    Chairman, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison

    BRITTANY DAMICO
    Senior Business Development Manager, Change Finance

    CASEY J. MULLIGAN
    Owner, Mulligan & Mulligan PLLC

    CATHERINE KIMMEL
    Co-CEO, The Artemis Agency

    CHRIS DAW QC
    Lawyer, Broadcaster and Author of Justice on Trial

    CHRISTINA BROOKS
    Founder and CEO, Ruebik

    CHRISTOPHER COX
    Associate Director, Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment

    CHRIS DUTTON
    Founder, The CEO Magazine

    DAN MEYER
    President and CEO, Nehemiah Manufacturing

    DANIEL DART
    CEO, Dart Capital & Co.

    DAVID BRONNER
    CEO, Dr.Bronner’s

    DAVID W. CRANE
    CEO, Climate Real Impact Solutions | Former CEO and President, NRG

    DAVID PACQUETTE
    David Pacquette, CEO, Business2Technology

    DAVE PHILLIPS

    DORRIT LOWSEN
    President and COO, Change Finance

    Dr. MO IBRAHIM
    Founder, Mobile Systems International | Founder, Celtel | Founding Chairman, Satya Capital Limited | Founder and Chair, Mo Ibrahim Foundation

    DR. PHILIP TEE
    Founder and CEO, Moogsoft Inc

    ED FLETCHER
    Co-Managing Director, Shape History

    ELISSA SHUCK
    President and CEO, ES-STRATEGIC, LLC

    ELIZABETH CHAMBERS
    Operating Partner, Searchlight Capital

    ELLIE KANNER
    CEO, Forever Sunny Productions | Just To Be Clear Productions | The Game Plan Game LLC

    EVE WILDRICK
    Founder and President, Executive Interiors Inc.

    FELIX PFREUNDTNER
    Owner, Xilev UG

    FLOYD ALBEE
    CEO, Prevalent Projects

    FRANCOIS-HENRI PINAULT

    GARETH PARKER
    CEO, Raphael Rowe Foundation

    GEORGE TURNER.
    Co-Founder and CEO, Carneys Community

    GINA LYNELL SMITH
    Founder, BizDesign.digital

    GORI YAHAYA
    Founder and CEO, UpSkill Digital

    GUILHERME LEAL
    Co-founder and Co-chair Natura & Co | Co-founder Instituto Ethos

    HELENE GAYLE, MD, MPH
    President and CEO, The Chicago Community Trust | Former President & CEO CARE USA

    HUBERT JOLY
    Former Chairman and CEO, Best Buy | Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School

    HUGH LENON
    Private Equity and Prison Charity Chairman

    IQRA SHAIKH
    Founder and CEO, Tutoring in Teams

    ISABELLE KOCHER

    JACK D'AURORA
    Partner, The Behal Law Group LLC

    JAMES FELLOWES
    Founder, The Bridge of Hope (Inclusive Talent Portal)

    JARED SMITH
    Co-founder, Qualtrics

    JASON FLOM
    CEO, Lava Media

    JATIN MAHINDRA
    Founder, Jatin Mahindra

    JAUME MIQUEL NAUDI
    Chairman and CEO, Tendam Global Fashion Retail

    JAVIER GARCIA SAZ
    CEO and Founder, AnunciaWebs

    JEAN OELWANG
    President and Founding CEO Virgin Unite | Former Co-CEO Virgin Mobile Australia

    JEFFREY SCALES
    Managing Principal, JSA Sustainable Wealth Management

    JERRY GREENFIELD
    Co-founder, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

    JOANNA REES
    Managing Partner, West Ventures

    JOHN C. HARRINGTON
    President and CEO, Harrington Investments, Inc.

    JOHN KAY
    CEO, Realize Strategies

    JOHN O’FARRELL

    JOHN REPLOGLE
    Founding Partner, One Better Ventures | Former CEO, Seventh Generation Inc

    JOHN ROST
    Founder and CEO, Ace Oasis Ltd

    JOHN RUSH
    Founder and CEO, CleanTurn | 180 Demo | Third Way Café

    JOHNNY WEBB
    CEO, HiddenLight Productions

    JON WRIGHT
    Co-Founder, Innocent Drinks

    JONATHAN OUELLETTE
    Co-Founder and Creative Director, KILL 2 BIRDS

    JOE DELOSS
    Founder, Hot Chicken Takeover

    JOSH ZINNER
    CEO, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

    JULIA ALBEE
    CFO, Prevalent Projects

    JULIO SALINAS LOMBARD
    Founder and CEO, Salinas Consultores

    KATIE DAVIES
    US Editor, The Independent

    KETZ HARIA
    Ketz Haria, Director, Dey, King, Haria

    KRISTINA TOUZENIS
    Managing Partner, BST Impact

    KRIZ TAN
    Co-Owner and Director, Alphavertex Communications Pte Ltd

    KYLER CARTER
    Professor of Development Disabilities

    L. WILLIAMSON
    COO, CAA Family Office

    LAUREN McCANN
    Founder and CEO, Calliope Advisors

    LOGAN MARTIN
    President, Skyline Strategies, LLC

    LUCKY XAZI
    Founder, Smart LUX Marketing

    MAC BARTINE
    CEO, SmartRIA

    MAMIE KANFER STEWART
    Founder, Meeteor

    MARC BENIOFF
    Chairman and CEO, Salesforce

    MARCUS BULLOCK
    CEO, Flikshop

    MARISA TENDERO
    Non-Executive Chairwoman , NOABRANDS

    MARK HAMADE
    Co-Founder, CanEth

    MARTHA LANE FOX
    Chair, WeTransfer | Director, Twitter | Director, Chanel | Chancellor, Open University

    MARY-CLAIRE MULLIGAN
    Partner and Director, Trial Litigation

    MATTHEW STEPKA
    Managing Partner, Machina Ventures

    MATS GRANRYD

    MELISSA FRIESENBOURG
    Owner, Balanced Spirit Pilates

    MERCK MERCURIADIS
    Founder and CEO, Hipgnosis Songs Fund

    MICHAEL CONN
    Founder, Bigger Than Us

    MICHAEL KRAMER
    Managing Partner, Natural Investments

    MICHELLE CIROCCO
    Chief Impact Officer and Executive Director, Televerde | Televerde Foundation

    MIKE NOVOGRATZ
    Founder and CEO, Galaxy Digital

    MILES DALLY
    CEO, RCL FOODS

    MO CHOUMIL
    CEO, Safi Virtual

    MORDECHAI GABAI
    Head of Studio, Schizotypy Game Development Ltd

    NICK McKEOWN

    NICOLAS DEBRAY
    President, Americas, The Body Shop

    NICOLAS GIROTTO

    NICOLAS PATRICK
    Global Head of Responsible Business, DLA Piper

    OSCAR WESTRA VAN HOLTHE
    Founder, Teamcoach Zuidas

    PAUL GRAHAM
    Founder, Y Combinator

    PAUL J. FRIBOURG

    PAUL POLMAN
    Co-founder and Chair, IMAGINE | Former CEO, Unilever

    PEDRO HERNANDES
    Founder, HBFS

    PEDRO PARENTE
    Chairman and Former CEO, BRF | Founding Partner, EB Capital | Former CEO, Petrobras

    PIERRE DUBUC
    Co-Founder and CEO, OpenClassrooms

    RAPHAEL ROWE
    Founder, Raphael Rowe Foundation

    RICCARDO BELLINI
    President and CEO, Chloe

    RIZVAN RAJA
    Founder and CEO, Rizuma Ltd

    ROBERT F. SMITH
    Founder, Chairman & CEO, Vista Equity Partners

    RON CONWAY
    Founder, SV Angel

    RYAN BALL
    Ryan Ball, Director, Ryan Ball Photography

    SALLY JEWELL,
    Former CEO, REI

    SANDRO SALSANO
    Chairman, Salsano Family Office | President, Salsano Group

    SANJAY AGGARWAL
    Founder and CEO, IPS

    SATISH AGGARWAL
    Founder, S&J Leisure Group

    SARA PRICE
    Founder, Actually

    SARAH ADOLPHSON
    Co-CEO, The Artemis Agency

    SARAH BEST
    CEO, Sarah Best Strategy

    SARAI JACOB-WHELAN

    SCOTT BUDNICK
    CEO, One Community | Founder, The Anti-Recidivism Coalition

    SHENALY AMIN
    Director, Iconik Ltd

    SHERYL SANDBERG
    COO, Facebook | Founder, LeanIn.org

    SITAL PUNJA
    Founder, Threads-London

    SONIA KOWAL
    President, Zevin Asset Management

    STEFANIE REINHOLD
    Founder, HorseHaus LLC

    STEPHANIE MELODIA
    CEO, Bloom Consulting Ltd

    STEPHEN LUCKMAN
    Partner, Sheridans

    STEVE BENNETT
    Co-Founder, Health Results

    STRIVE MASIYIWA
    Founder and Executive Chairman, Econet Group

    SUSAN OZAWA PEREZ
    Senior Portfolio Manager, Impact Investors

    SUSAN WHITMORE
    Founder and CEO, Grief Haven

    SVEIN TORE HOLSETHER
    President and CEO, Yara International

    SYLVIA COLEMAN
    Co-Founder and Principal, BPureSounds

    TERESA HENNING
    Director, Moneymasternow

    TOM LYTTON-DICKIE
    Founder and CEO, Meaningful Business

    TONY FERNANDES
    Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia Group | Chairman and Founder, Tune Group

    VANESSA BAKEWELL
    Global Client Partner, Facebook

    WERNER BAUMANN
    CEO, Bayer

    WOUTER MURRAT
    Founder, Owner & CEO, MEPILAN VOF

    YINKA SONUBI
    CEO, TJR&M

    Source:- CSR Wire, 7/10/2021

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