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IRAQ. ‘NO TO THE DEATH PENALTY FOR SADDAM HUSSEIN’, CAPPATO
June 19, 2006: "The request put forward by prosecutors to sentence Saddam Hussein to death will not bring justice to the genocides, torture and to the atrocious crimes against the Iraqi population committed by the former Baghdad strongman”.
The statement was made in Brussels by Marco Cappato, MEP for the “Rosa nel Pugno” party and Hands Off Cain board member.
“The crimes Saddam Hussein is charged with are extremely serious. The answer though lies not in capital punishment. Those who like Saddam Hussein, and like Slobodan Milosevic and Charles Taylor, denied their own people the right to exist, still have a right to a fair trial, preferably one conducted under international jurisdiction: a trial that ‘brings to justice’ whilst fully respecting the rights of the accused and without resorting to the death penalty.
“Together with Marco Panella we are asking the European Parliament to address the Commission, the Council and the Iraqi government for an immediate adoption of a moratorium on capital executions, including any to be handed down to Saddam Hussein, and the resumption of procedures for adhering to the Rome Statute and to the International Criminal Court: the only way of re-establishing a climate of peaceful cohabitation following years of denial of freedom, democracy and of life.” (Sources: HOC, 19/06/2006)
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