- Sputnik International
Russia
The latest news and stories from Russia. Stay tuned for updates and breaking news on defense, politics, economy and more.

US Investors Press Sochi Olympic Sponsors Over Gay Rights

Subscribe
A coalition of US investors managing hundreds of billions of dollars in assets has urged corporate sponsors of the Sochi Winter Olympics to speak out against controversial Russian laws on homosexuality.

WASHINGTON, December 5 (RIA Novosti) – A coalition of US investors managing hundreds of billions of dollars in assets has urged corporate sponsors of the Sochi Winter Olympics to speak out against controversial Russian laws on homosexuality.

“Taking a stand against these prejudicial laws and policies is not just the right thing to do, it protects shareholder interests and corporate reputations,” New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, who oversees the state’s $160 billion retirement fund, wrote in a letter this week to sponsors of the Sochi Games.

DiNapoli was joined in the call by 20 other investments funds and other groups managing $327 billion in assets that are seeking to force action by the Games’ sponsors, which include multinational giants like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Panasonic, Samsung and Procter & Gamble.

The investors joined gay rights activists in the West who have been stepping up pressure on the sponsors over a Russian law enacted in June that bans the promotion of non-traditional sexual relationships to minors.

The law’s proponents argue that it is aimed at protecting children from harmful influences and does not prevent adults from making their own choices, but critics allege that the move restricts freedom of speech and is part of a broader crackdown on Russia’s gay community.

The main sponsors of the Sochi Games, set to kick off February 7, have been largely silent about the controversial legislation. Coca-Cola told RIA Novosti earlier this year that it “does not take positions on political matters unrelated to our business.”

 

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала