Italy pushes worldwide death penalty moratorium
Posted by Web Editor on December 4th, 2007
On September 25 when Italy’s premier Romano Prodi addressed the United Nations General Assembly he called for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its complete abolition, a move he said would guarantee better justice around the globe and an end to cultures of vengeance. Prodi told the General Assembly a “growing trend” worldwide against capital punishment boded well for his efforts, and support for the moratorium was growing “day by day” in Europe and in every region of the world. He called for “a society that has at last freed itself from the spiral of revenge.” A moratorium was expected to face opposition from the major users of the death penalty, including China, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the U.S., but about 90 countries had expressed support for Italy’s push for a moratorium. The resolution would need two-thirds of the votes in the 192-member U.N. General Assembly to pass. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reportedly supports Prodi’s moratorium proposal. Rome’s Coliseum, once the arena for deadly gladiator combat and executions, has become a symbol of the country’s stance. Since 1999, it is lit up every time a death sentence is commuted somewhere in the world or a country abolishes capital punishment.