Post by pebbles on Oct 8, 2007 18:52:21 GMT -5
Italian Premier Calls for Worldwide Death Penalty Moratorium
Italian Premier Romano Prodi called for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty in an address to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. Prodi advocated passage of a U.N. moratorium resolution, saying, "If genuine politics means showing foresight, we shall perform a great political act through the adoption of this resolution. It will demonstrate that humankind isn't capable of making progress only in science but also in the field of ethics."
Prodi told the General Assembly that there is a "growing trend" against capital punishment and that support for the moratorium was growing each day in Europe and every region of the world. Noting that "the battle against capital punishment is a difficult one because many countries still practice it,'' Prodi urged U.N. member nations to abandon the death penalty to create "a society that has at last freed itself from the spiral of revenge.'' According to reports, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who met with Prodi to discuss the issue, supports passage of the resolution.
The resolution needs two-thirds of the votes in the 192-member U.N. General Assembly to pass. U.N. members that are also part of the European Union, which opposes capital punishment and requires member nations to abandon the practice, are expected to support the resolution. The U.S. China, Iran and Saudi Arabia are among the nations expected to oppose its passage.
(New York Times, September 26, 2007).
www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=2464&scid=64
Italian Premier Romano Prodi called for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty in an address to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly. Prodi advocated passage of a U.N. moratorium resolution, saying, "If genuine politics means showing foresight, we shall perform a great political act through the adoption of this resolution. It will demonstrate that humankind isn't capable of making progress only in science but also in the field of ethics."
Prodi told the General Assembly that there is a "growing trend" against capital punishment and that support for the moratorium was growing each day in Europe and every region of the world. Noting that "the battle against capital punishment is a difficult one because many countries still practice it,'' Prodi urged U.N. member nations to abandon the death penalty to create "a society that has at last freed itself from the spiral of revenge.'' According to reports, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who met with Prodi to discuss the issue, supports passage of the resolution.
The resolution needs two-thirds of the votes in the 192-member U.N. General Assembly to pass. U.N. members that are also part of the European Union, which opposes capital punishment and requires member nations to abandon the practice, are expected to support the resolution. The U.S. China, Iran and Saudi Arabia are among the nations expected to oppose its passage.
(New York Times, September 26, 2007).
www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=2464&scid=64