NEW YORK, OCTOBER 10 – To mark European and World Day against the Death Penalty, Italy today riaffermed its unconditional opposition to the death penalty, a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment that denies human dignity and has no added value in terms of discouraging crime and of assuring security while it makes any judicial error fatally irreversible. The Italian Mission to the United Nations is partnering with the European Union’s delegation in a social media campaign to call for a moratorium in view of the total abolition of executions.
Every year, the European and World Day against the Death Penalty represents an opportunity to recall and renew the commitment of the world of politics, public opinion, and civil society in favour of the abolition of the death penalty. The Day, celebrated on 10 October 2022, is dedicated to the relationship between the death penalty and torture or other inhuman and degrading treatments, both physical and psychological, to which prisoners condemned to the death penalty are often subjected. Italy has always been at the forefront of the list of Abolitionist Countries and it participates in a UN interregional Task Force committed to promoting the abolition of the death penalty at international level.
The number of Countries performing executions is on a progressive downtrend and, at the same time, consensus is rising with respect to the Resolution on a Universal Moratorium on executions that was precisely promoted by Italy at the United Nations in 2007. It is essential to renew the commitment on this issue on a daily basis, constantly and resolutely, as it represents an undisputed priority in Italy’s foreign policy.
In view of the vote on the Resolution which will be held at the United Nations in New York this autumn, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to work in close synergy with civil society organisations to consolidate – and possibly outperform – the result obtained in 2020. The Resolution is the ninth since 2007 with a number of YES votes growing to a record of 123 in 2020. It will be introduced by the delegations of Australia and Costa Rica. In this context, and with the goal of exceding that success, Italy co-organised a High-Level Side Event during the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly with the aim of sharing and analysing the best practices implemented in different areas of the world ahead of the moratorium and in view of the abolition of the death penalty. (@OnuItalia)
