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DEATH PENALTY. RADICALS ACHIEVE OBJECTIVE OF PUTTING UN MORATORIUM CAMPAIGN ON TRACK
September 28, 2007: the militant Radicals, committed to a hunger strike to support the UN Moratorium on capital punishment, have decided to suspend their non violent action:
“Our hunger strike started on September 2nd, and was converted to an indefinite hunger strike on September 17th. It has clearly achieved its objective. The initiative for the adoption of a resolution for the Universal Moratorium on capital punishment at the General Assembly has seriously been put on track. At last!
Recently, a series of politically relevant facts of undeniable importance have occurred. These include:
- September 11: at the initiative of Sergio D’Elia, Radical Parliamentarian from Rosa nel Pugno, the Foreign Affairs Commissions of both the House and the Senate called an extraordinary joint meeting.
- September 22: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed Aldo Ajello as the special envoy for the Moratorium at the Ministerial Session of the UN General Assembly.
- From September 24: Sergio D’Elia and Matteo Mecacci, the Radical Party’s UN Representative, were part of the Italian delegation to the UN.
- September 25: Council President Romano Prodi, reorganising his schedule, spoke at the opening of the 62nd General Assembly and made the Moratorium the central point of his speech.
- September 27: on the initiative of the Radical European Parliamentarian Marco Pannella and Marco Cappato, and with the support of Pasqualina Napoletano (Left Democrats), Monica Frassoni (Greens), Luisa Morgantini and Vittorio Agnoletto (Re-formed Communists), Marco Rizzo (PdCI) and Roberta Angelilli (AN), the great majority of the European Parliament successfully voted for a resolution. The resolution recognised Italy’s leadership, and also renewed and strengthened the mandate for the immediate submission of the pro Moratorium Resolution at the commencement of the UN. The Parliament decreed that “the political principle contained in the resolution must be the adoption of a Universal Moratorium as a crucial step towards the abolition of the death penalty”.
- September 28: Minister D’Alema, together with his Portuguese counterpart, called a meeting for the presentation and promotion of the pro Moratorium resolution. Another 40 Foreign Ministers immediately agreed to participate in the meeting, as well as two of the 55 Nobel Prize laureates that signed the appeal to Prodi by the Radical Party and Hands Off Cain in June.
- In the last few days, the President of the Italian Council and the Foreign Minister have adopted a decidedly new attitude. They have started to listen to and implement ideas by the Radicals.
This non violent political action was undertaken by many people to show support for the decisions of the Government and the European and Italian Parliaments in overcoming the mistakes and delays of the European Union. On the 25th day of their hunger strike, considering the results mentioned above, the joint non violent Radical militants have suspended their campaign.
We would therefore like to give warm thanks to the Radical Movement and all of its exponents, who have supported and conducted this non violent campaign. Many people have given both their body and their financial support to justice and non violence in the international community”.
Signed by Emma Bonino, Marco Pannella, Rita Bernardini, Elisabetta Zamparutti, Marco Cappato, Lucio Bertè, Guido Biancardi, Sergio D'Elia, Marco Perduca, Michele Rana Alessandro Rosasco, Antonio Stango, Claudia Sterzi, Valter Vecellio, and Dominique Velati. (Sources: radicali.it, 28/09/2007)
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