Virgin Airlines founder Sir Richard Branson has drawn attention to rising number of executions across the world.
The British billionaire noted that although the world was focused on armed conflicts and crises, attention was required on ‘ramped up executions’.
He pointed specifically at Iran for executing over 1,000 of its own citizens in the last none months alone (by the time of writing this article) in a bid to tame political dissent.
The businessman also spotlighted Singapore, saying that even though the tiny Island was a ‘civilized and prosperous country in every other way’, it was executing vulnerable people and non-violent drug traffickers caught with very tiny amounts of drugs.
“Iran has killed more than 1,000 of its own citizens in the first nine months of this year – already surpassing last year’s horrifying total of 975 executions. How utterly abhorrent for leaders of a country to use capital punishment as a desperate tool to crack down on dissent and stay in power. It’s a terrible assault on the Iranian people,” he posted on his LinkedIn account on September 27.
In Singapore – a civilised and prosperous country in every other way – executions often mean killing vulnerable, non-violent drug traffickers. A Malaysian citizen was hanged only yesterday for carrying about 1.6 ounces of heroin, and four more people are at imminent risk of execution, giving Singapore a terrible (and otherwise unwarranted) global reputation.
~ Sir Richard Branson
Sir Branson who is a vocal supporter of people living with dyslexia affirmed his belief that but there was no evidence that the death penalty deters crime.
“It is a brutal and inhumane form of punishment, and the world would be a much better place without it,” said Branson.
Sir Richard Branson’s sentiments were in support of an Amnesty International petition to the Singaporean authorities to ‘halt all executions’ and uphold human rights. Amnesty also wants all countries to abolish the death penalty following more than 10 Malaysians being put on death row for drug trafficking in Singapore.
Feature Photo/ Wall Paper Access
