Italy To Table Pro-moratorium On Death Penalty

Marco Pannella
Member of European Parliament

Rome, 15 June 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Death Penalty: Italy "Absolutely" Determined To Immediately Table A Pro-moratorium Resolution At The Current Un General Assembly, Prody Says

Death Penalty: Prime Minister Prodi announces that the Italian Government is "absolutely" determined to immediately table at the current UN General Assembly a pro-Moratorium Resolution in full respect of the parliamentary mandates, responding to the international appeal of Nobel Laureates and the political, parliamentary and nonviolent campaign of Hands Off Cain and the Transnational Radical Party.

Emma Bonino has informed President Prodi and Minister D'Alema that France and Spain are ready to support the Italian initiative. The Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev and Lech Walesa have joined the over 50 Nobel Laureates that have signed, together with former Spanish President Felipe Gonzales and over 500 Parliamentarians, the appeal to the Italian Government.

On 14 June, in a meeting at his office in Rome, Italian President of the Council of Ministers Romano Prodi informed Minister Emma Bonino, Marco Pannella, MEP, and Sergio D'Elia, MP of his "absolute" determination to table, at the current session of the UN General Assembly, a Resolution on a Universal Moratorium on the Death Penalty with the necessary urgency informing the EU General Affaire Committee scheduled to meet on Monday 18 June in Brussels.

Such a decision is in full respect of the various mandates of the Italian and European Parliaments, and will be in line with the commitments announced last 2 January. The text will fully correspond, also literally, to the political declaration (proposed by the Italian Government) that has already received – thanks to Italy's efforts and paternity – the formal support of 93 UN Member States of the UN (of which only some 50 maintain in their national legislations, and practice, the death penalty).

As a result of that, the international campaign of the Transnational Radical Party and Hands Off Cain in support of the Italian Government has been intensified.

1) Yesterday, under the initiative of Sergio D'Elia, MP (Radical – Rose in the Fist) the Foreign Affaire Committee of the Italian Parliament, mandated, for the third time, the Government to table in the next few days the pro-Moratorium Resolution, informing the European Union but with a list of co-sponsors from the various regional groupings within the UN.

2) On that same day, under the initiative of the President of the Liberal-Democrats at the EP, Graham Watson (UK), and Radical MEP Marco Cappato, all Parliamentary Groups at the European Parliament have officially confirmed their resolve and the one of all the EP Resolutions of last 2 February and 25 April to reach that goal.

3) At the same time, Minister Emma Bonino informed President Prodi and Foreign Affairs Minister Massimo D'Alema, that French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner and his Spanish Colleague Miguel Angel Moratinos, had responded to her personal appeal in a positive way ensuring their full support to the initiative of the Italian Government and the one of the European Parliament, against any possible "postponement" of the tabling, and the subsequent vote, of the Resolution for a Universal Moratorium on the Death Penalty.

4) The international political parliamentary and nonviolent campaign of Hands Off Cain and the Transnational Radical Party continues: the dozens of activists that have been on a hunger strike since mid April have decided to continue until the objective is reached to support the Italian Government.

Over 50 Nobel Laureates such as the Dalai Lama, Michail Gorbachev and Lech Walesa have signed the appeal to President Prodi together with over 500 Parliamentarians and scores of politicians from all over the world and opinion makers like Bernardo Bertolucci, David Grossman and Fernando Savater.

ENDS

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