New U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he backed an international trend to phase out the death penalty. "Life is very precious and every human being has a right to live with dignity and life of human beings must be respected and protected," Ban said in Brussels when asked about an Italian bid for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty.

so far, 18 Mayors of European capital cities have signed the Mayor of Rome’s appeal to get the International Community to establish a moratorium on the death penalty as soon as possible, with the ultimate goal being its complete abolition.

Minister Emma Bonino, the directors of Hands Off Cain Marco Pannella, Sergio D'Elia and Elisabetta

Iran publicly hanged four men convicted of taking part in deadly bombings in the south-western city of Ahwaz in 2005.

eight pro-democracy activists were posthumously acquitted of treason charges, more than 30 years after they were executed. The Seoul Central District Court said the activists were not guilty of forming an underground party aiming to overthrow the authoritarian regime.

following talks with his Italian counterpart, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari defended the execution of Saddam Hussein and other former Iraqi officials, which prompted Italy to lead a push for a worldwide moratorium against the death penalty.

some 500 children are currently in Yemeni prisons, often alongside adult criminals, says a new report on children, released by the Rights and Freedoms Committee of the Consultative Council.

“The Italian act is beautiful and noble. It showed courage and was the right thing to do, even if noone else supports it. The request for a UN moratorium on the death penalty gives hope to millions of people around the world who, like me, want the barbarity to end. And it would please me if my government did the same,” Mario Cuomo, ex governor of New York, said in an interview with La Repubblica.

Justice Minister Clemente Mastella wants to bring the important issue of the death penalty to the attention of the European Union.

The fight for the UN moratorium against the death penalty "is an ongoing one," said Massimo D'Alema, Foriegn Minister on Tg 1. D’Alema is in Brasil for talks with re-elected president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has asked Mr. Jalal Talabani, President of Iraq and the Iraqi Government not to ratify the Appeals Court’s decision to execute Saddam Hussein and requested a moratorium on the death penalty in Iraq.

the Sudanese central Khartoum criminal court convicted Mutassim Khairallah, 35, and Imad Tabben,