Diplomats from European Union nations and Switzerland are in Columbus this week to add their support to calls for the abolition of the death penalty in Ohio. The delegation met with Ohio government officials, advocacy groups and the loved ones of people impacted by capital punishment in the state.

The group also co-hosted a Sept. 13 screening of the documentary film “The Penalty” with Ohioans to Stop Executions and the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice to highlight efforts at reform. A panel discussion with experts and death row exonerees followed the screening.

“The European Union has long opposed capital punishment and we fully support bipartisan efforts aimed at making Ohio the 24th U.S. state to abolish the death penalty,” said EU Human Rights Counsellor Ali Cain after the screening. “It’s time to end the death penalty, both in Ohio and around the world.”

Cain was joined by diplomats from the EU member states of Germany, Spain, Portugal, Czech Republic, Belgium, Estonia, France, Italy, and Sweden, as well as Switzerland.

Hannah Kubbins, the Executive Director of Ohioans to Stop Executions, said two bipartisan bills in Ohio’s state legislature now, SB 103 and HB 183, would end capital punishment in the state, but lawmakers have yet to act on them.

“Ohio will be better off when the needs of victims’ families come first – and with our current system, that isn’t happening,” said Kubbins. “The death penalty has repeatedly been found to be a failed system of punishment. By abolishing it, we can advance community safety and justice without creating more victims.”

John Rush, the CEO and Founder of CleanTurn, a Columbus-based commercial cleaning company, said momentum for death penalty abolition in Ohio has been growing and many business leaders favor ending the practice. Rush has signed onto the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice’s Business Leaders Against the Death Penalty campaign.

“Continued use of the death penalty isn’t just harmful to citizens and communities – it’s also bad for business,” said Rush. “Over 250 business leaders around the world have called for states to end this practice, including companies that have key trade relationships with Ohio. States need to understand that when they continue to perpetrate this kind of inhumane punishment, the eyes of the business community are on them.” 

According to Kubbins, advocates are hopeful that Ohio has seen its last execution. “Bipartisan support has continued to increase and we’re confident that it’s not ‘if’ but ‘when’ Ohio repeals its death penalty,” she noted.

To learn more about the effort to abolish the death penalty in Ohio, visit www.nodeathpenaltyoh.com.