Newly elected Prime Minister Romano Prodi

ITALY LEADS CAMPAIGN AGAINST DEATH PENALTY

January 10, 2007: all Italian political parties are backing the decision "to campaign at the United Nations for a global ban on the death penalty" announced by Prime Minister Romano Prodi. "No crime can justify one person killing another," Prodi said.
"This is a principle which all civilisations and religions share." Foreign minister Massimo D'Alema said “I believe that this must constitute one of the top commitments of our international efforts because it is urgent to have an initiative to put an end to the barbarianism of the death penalty."
Marco Pannella, leader of the leftist Radical Party said he is now confident that "thanks to the personal engagement of the Italian Prime Minister, the international community will agree on a global moratorium on the death penalty in the next weeks." (Sources: Inter Press Service, 10/01/2006)