HANDS OFF CAIN MISSION BEGINS IN AFRICA IN SUPPORT OF MORATORIUM

November 3, 2016: Today begins a mission of Hands Off Cain in four African countries, Kenya, Zambia; Malawi and Swaziland with the aim of increasing support for the Resolution for the universal moratorium on capital executions on vote again at the General Assembly of the United Nations. The first stop is Kenya.
The mission is made possible thanks to the support of the Italian Foreign Ministry. The delegation is composed by Antonio Stango, board of Hands Off Cain and newly elected President of the lIDU (Italian League of Human Rights); Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan, coordinator of the World Congress Against the Death Penalty, Yuliya Vassilyeva, board of Hands Off Cain, and Elenora Mongelli, Radical Party activist and cultural coordinator of the World Congress Against the Death Penalty. Italian MP Roberto Rampi will join the delegation in Swaziland.
Kenya, Malawi and Zambia have so far abstained, while Swaziland was absent during the last vote. The goal is to convince these countries that have long respected a de facto moratorium, to vote in favour of the pro-moratorium resolution at the UN. A first vote is expected around the 17th of November at the Third Committee on Human Rights, and a second vote should be around December 20 at the General Assembly Plenary.
The African continent continues to be the one where there is the largest number of de facto abolitionist countries that, because of that, they might decide to go to a vote in favour.
Support for this project by the foreign ministry, where Undersecretary Benedetto Della Vedova has coordinated this year the task force against the death penalty, confirms Italy's commitment to the universal moratorium on capital punishment and the focus of this government on Africa.