MEP Marco Pannella, Hands Off Cain President

MORATORIUM ON CAPITAL EXECUTIONS, NOW

January 3, 2007: Radical Party leader and European Parliamentarian Marco Pannella, also President of Hands Off Cain, completed eight days of a total hunger and thirst strike. On January 3, 2007, he discontinued the thirst strike for 24-48 hours in order continue with the hunger strike.
With his nonviolent action, Pannella asks the Italian government, as a non permanent member of the Security Council from 1 January, to present a resolution for a universal moratorium
on capital executions at the ongoing UN General Assembly or in an extraordinary session to be convened following articles 8 and 9 of the Assembly procedure.
The initiative commenced on December 27 with the “Hands Off Saddam” campaign aimed at avoiding the former dictator’s execution. An appeal to that effect launched by Hands Off Cain was undersigned by over 200 parliamentarians and 3 Nobel Peace laureates.
Following the execution of Saddam Hussein, the purpose of Pannella’s actions and the presentation of the universal moratorium on capital executions aims to avoid the precipitation of the situation in Iraq, more bloodshed, further deaths and capital sentences degenerating into a spiral of violence and war that could turn into a generalised conflict with unfathomable consequences.
Prime Minister Romano Prodi said on January 2 that his government will use Italy's new seat in the UN Security Council to push for a "universal moratorium" on capital punishment.
It is not possible to know today what is actually happening in New York and if the proposal for a moratorium has been presented at the General Assembly, nor if procedures have been put into place to put the measure to a vote.
According to Hands Off Cain, for years at the forefront of the battle against the death penalty, a moratorium resolution put to the General Assembly would obtain 99 to 106 votes in favour, with 61 to 68 countries voting against and 19 to 26 abstentions.
In 2003 Marco Pannella promoted the “Free Iraq” campaign as the only alternative to the war and to military occupation, consisting in the exile of Saddam Hussein and a UN administration in Iraq for democratic transition. The proposal received the support of the majority of Italy’s parliamentarians, but in that case also, the Italian government, then headed by Silvio Berlusconi, did not follow up the measure with concrete actions. (Fonti: Hands Off Cain, 03/01/07)