Specials

... policy topics that are supported by both Italian political parties and society.

The struggle in favor of the abolition of the death penalty within the United Nations started during the 1970’s. In 1977 the General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for the reduction of the number of crimes that called for the death penalty.
Since 1980, the discussions on the death penalty have often been seen as annual diplomatic debates between countries supporting a simple moratorium on executions and UN Member States calling for its abolition.
After 1989, additional protocol was adopted in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (by which signatory countries accepted the move towards the abolition of the death penalty), unfortunately, several countries did not ratify this agreement which, in turn, prompted Italy to play a key role in the campaign against the death penalty.
By 1994, the actions of the Italian Government showed that the anti-abolitionist front within the UN was not as strong as it was purported to be. In fact, Italy introduced a draft resolution within the United Nations General Assembly committee dealing with humanitarian affairs.
This draft obtained broad support from a large number of countries which did not carry out executions even if they maintained it within their national legislation. Nevertheless, the pillar-countries of the anti-abolitionist block – Egypt and Bangladesh – scored an unexpected victory by introducing some important amendments that recognized the right of each country to exercise its national sovereignty in deciding whether or not to maintain the death penalty.
Moreover, the abstention of 20 UN member States, current members of the European Union, jeopardized the Italian initiative. The draft-resolution did not acquire the necessary majority and missed the approval in the General Assembly by just 8 votes.
In 1997, Italy decided to revive its campaign by presenting an historical resolution which requested all Member States to suspend their executions as a first step toward the abolition of death penalty.
Two years later a new draft proposed by Italian Diplomats at the UN, with the support of the entire European Union, asked that all UN Member States should not allow the extradition of criminals to countries that still carried out executions.
In 1999 the Italian Government failed again in achieving its aim. Even though the Italian Government was able to gather a vast number of cosponsors on a new moratorium-proposal, with more than 90 Ambassadors at the UN in agreement about a new draft, EU countries were still unable to find a common position.
However, once an official decision from the European Union Council was reached, the United Kingdom, supported by the United States of America, lobbied against the initiative.
Furthermore, for the past ten years Italy had been at forefront in the campaign against capital punishment.
Nonetheless, in 2003, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi broke with this long-standing campaign by the Italian Government in order to establish closer political ties with the Bush Administration.
From then on, Nessuno Tocchi Caino, a non governmental organization, supported by the “radicali” of Marco Pannella, a small but influential democratic and liberal party, started lobbying throughout Italy and within the Italian Parliament with the goal of jumpstarting a new campaign to abolish the death penalty.
During the summer of 2006, Nessuno Tocchi Caino asked the Italian Parliament to approve a resolution that would call upon the Italian Government to present a new moratorium-proposal at the United Nations General Assembly, which would be cosponsored not only by EU member states but by other countries as well.
Facing, yet again, opposition from the United Kingdom, the Italian Government decided to adopt a more gradual approach.
Italian diplomats at the UN asked all UN Member States to sign a political declaration against the death penalty: 95 countries agreed on the text with a view to present a new moratorium proposal able to gather the additional support within the United Nations.
This window of opportunity that exists now for the most recent Italian campaign against the death penalty seems clearly linked to a new international trend in re-thinking the prospect of using the capital punishment.
China which is the first to specially rank executions probably encouraged a “revisionist trend” on the issue due in part to its candidacy to host the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Last month, the Chinese Supreme Court voiced the need to consider the restriction of the number of offences for which the death penalty may be imposed.
In the US, Governor of Florida, Jebb Bush (R), decided to suspend executions and to appoint a special panel in order to examine the morality and constitutionality of lethal injections.
In New Jersey, Democrats promoted a campaign aimed at replacing the death penalty with life in prison.
Encouraging signals can be found all over the globe:
The Philippines recently decided to abolish executions. In 2006, only six countries on the African continent carried out executions. Within recent months, Gabon and Rwanda abolished capital punishment and joined the political declaration presented by Italy last fall.
These important changes in attitude, and above all, legislation concerning capital punishment have demonstrated to Italian and European diplomatic circles the importance of maintaining a strong momentum in their promotion for a new worldwide moratorium on the death penalty.