Sergio D'Elia, Secretary of HOC

DEATH PENALTY. D'ELIA, BATTLE FOR THE MORATORIUM TEST OF DEALINGS WITH GOVERNMENT

October 19, 2007: Sergio D'Elia, secretary of Hands Off Cain and Rosa nel Pugno Parliamentarian, said that the situation regarding the Universal Moratorium on capital punishment at the UN “is a cause for concern.”
"The enlisting of co-sponsors is progressing very slowly, which is mainly the responsibility of the Portuguese Presidency of the European Union. The Portuguese appointed themselves the task of managing the co-sponsors, without delegating anything to the other countries of the inter-regional coalition that supports the Moratorium."
The Radical Parliamentarian’s statements were made during a press conference for the theatre production "The Question" by Ugo De Vita, held in support of the pro Moratorium campaign by Hands Off Cain and sponsored by the National Italian Singers and "Alice in Cerca di Teatro".
"Portugal’s decision slows the presentation of the resolution to the United Nations, and this risks the entire initiative."
According to D’Elia, "the only positive fact is that three days ago, the European Union finally decided on the text of the resolution after a massive effort. It centres on the request for the Moratorium on capital punishment, instead of on its complete abolition."
Considering that the initiative to the United Nations "risks failing if it continues to proceed this slowly, the Italian Government must reassume a leading role and if necessary proceed in an autonomous manner. The Government must draw strength from the support that is manifest in an inter-regional coalition of pro-Moratorium countries. Furthermore, the Italian Parliament’s unanimous resolution gave the government a very clear mandate." "The UN Moratorium on capital punishment is, for us, also the testing grounds of our relationship with the government."
"The Question" was adapted from a collection of letters by Barbara Bacci. The play centres on Dominique Green, a black man from Texas who was condemned as a boy for a murder that he always claimed not to have committed. He was executed after fourteen years imprisonment on October 26, 2004. The play will be at the Teatro La Pergola in Florence on October 25, at the Biblioteca Angelica in Rome on October 26, at the Living Theater in New York on October 28, and at the Italian Academy in New York on October 29. (Sources: HOC, 19/10/2007)