28 July 2006 :

Appeal against the death sentence handed down to Saddam Hussein and co-accused

To the President of Iraq Jalal Talabani
To the Prime Minister of Iraq Nuri al-Maliki
To the Minister of Justice of Iraq Hashim al-Shibli
To the President of the Parliament of Iraq Hajim al-Hassani
To the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Romano Prodi
To the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso

We the undersigned,

Firmly convinced that there cannot be impunity for the crimes committed by the deposed Iraqi regime and that the crimes for which former President Saddam Hussein and his collaborators have been accused represent the most serious violations of human rights for which there cannot be any immunity;
Firmly convinced that the trial of Saddam Hussein, to be a decisive moment to ascertain the crimes committed by the old regime but also to commit Iraq to the principles of responsibility and the rule of law, should be conducted in full respect of the safeguards internationally recognized in order to guarantee a fair and impartial trial, avoiding, in this way, the creation of pretexts and excuses for all those that want to discredit that judiciary action presenting it as victors’ justice, or as a vengeance of the victims against their executioner;
Firmly convinced that the Iraqi penal system as a whole should apply international norms and that, in particular, the trial of Saddam Hussein should apply the principles set forth by the Statutes of the international criminal tribunals that do not foresee the death penalty;
Firmly convinced that the decision to suspend the death sentences taken by the Iraqi Parliament and Government could represent the most evident example of a profound changed vis-à-vis the methods of the old regime as well as a strong signal of the new Iraqi institutions to respect human dignity in the entire region;
We appeal to the Government and Parliament of Iraq so that a death sentence against Saddam Hussein and his partners in crime not be carried out in coherence with the new commitment to respect the fundamental individual dignity that Iraq recognizes as inalienable to every human being.
We call on the Iraqi authorities to re-establish a moratorium on capital executions, which was established after the fall of Saddam Hussein, with the aim of reinforcing the completion of the transition process towards democracy in accordance with the rule of law.
We call on the Iraqi Government and Parliament to consider the establishment of a Truth Commission, or any other similar and appropriate instrument, to ensure, in the full respect of international law, the fullest ascertainment of the serious responsibilities for the crimes committed by the old leadership and, at the same time, to offer the best opportunity to establish the rule of law in Iraq.
We call on the United Nations and the European Commission to express to the new Iraqi Government their dissent concerning the use of the death penalty also against Saddam Hussein, and their support for a moratorium of capital executions in view of total abolition of the death penalty.

sign up the appeal

Marco Pannella, MEP and non violent leader, President of Hands Off Cain, Italy

Francesco Cossiga, Former President of the Italian Republic

Emma Bonino, Minister for International Trade, Italy

Mairead Corrigan McGuire, Peace Nobel Prix, Northern Ireland

Betty Williams, Peace Nobel Prix, Northern Ireland

Shirin Ebadi, Peace Nobel Prix, Iran

Maître Mame Bassine Niang, Minister for Human Rights, Senegal

Gareth Evans, Former Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of International Crisis Group, Australia

Giuliano Vassalli, Former President of the Italian Constitutional Court

Giovanni Conso, Former President of the Italian Constitutional Court

Giovanna Melandri, Minister for policy on juveniles, Italy

Cesare Salvi, President of the Justice Commission at the Italian Senate

Walter Veltroni, Mayor of Rome

Hazem Saghieh, journalist at “al-Hayat”, Lebanon

Mohsen Marzouk, Coordinator of “Arab Partnership Democracy Centre” , Tunisia

Salah Bechir, journalist of “al-Hayat”, Tunisia

Pierre Akel, Founder of website “Middle East Transparent”, Lebanon

Khaled Hroub, writer and journalist Al-Jazeera, Palestine

Khaled Fouad Allam, MP, Italy

Mona Eltahaway, writer and journalist

Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Director and Chair of “Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies” and Professor at the “American University of Cairo”, Egypt

Belkacem Boutayeb, Morocco

Jamal Al-Awadhi, President of National Center for Human rights and Democratic Development (NCHRDD)

Mensur Akgun, Director of TESEV, Turkey

David French, Director of Westminster Foundation for Democracy, UK

Oliviero Toscani, artist, Italy

Moni Ovadia, artist, Italy

Yasha Reibman, representative of the jewish community Milan, Italy

Riccardo Pacifici, porte-parole of the jewish community Rome, Italy




Italian MPs:

Daniele Capezzone

Daniela Alfonzi

Pietro Marcenaro

Fulvia Bandoli

Dino Tibaldi

Marco Boato

Franco Narducci

Donatella Poretti

Giacomo Mancini

Angelo Picano

Tana de Zulueta

Gennaro Migliore

Enzo Raisi

Alfredo Biondi

Benedetto Della Vedova

Francesco Piro

Gustavo Selva

Pietro Folena

Loredana De Petris

Francesco Ferrante

Natale D'Amico

Rapisardo Antinucci

Orazio Licandro

Roberto Giachetti

Giorgio Carta

Gino Bucchino

Cinzia Dato

Furio Colombo

Bruno Mellano

Marco Beltrandi

Silvana Amati

Lamberto Dini

Giovanna Capelli

Luigi Malabarba

Paolo Bodini

Rino Piscitello

Antonio Maccanico

Marco Fedi

Ahmad Rafat

Roberta Pinotti

Francesco De Luca

Paolo Cirino Pomicino

Francesco Laratta

Marisa Nicchi

Luana Zanella

Gabriele Albonetti

Marcello De Angelis

Paolo Brutti

Magda Negri

Oskar Peterlini

Marco Lion

Pietro Fuda

Bruno Tabacci

Dario Rivolta

Rosario Giorgio Costa

Franca Chiaromonte

Franco Giordano




Italian journalists, writers, artist:

Fulvio Abbate

Luciano Lanna

Armando Gnisci

Sandro Veronesi

Eric Jozsef

Lorenzo Del Boca

Maria Cuffaro

Angiolo Marroni

Roberta Tatafiore

Clara Sereni

Rossana Rossanda

Claudio Sabelli Fioretti

Rosetta Stella

Luciana Viviani

Guido Ruotolo

Pierluigi Franz

Letizia Paolozzi

Giovanna Reanda

Francesca D’Aloja

Sandro Dionisio

Andrea Colombo

Cosimo Rossi

Iaia Vantaggiato

Alessandro Mantovani

Pablo Echaurren