Italian lawmakers press for UN vote on death-penalty moratorium

Rome, Jun. 5, 2007 (CWNews.com)

Parliamentarians from Italy’s Radical Party have staged a sit-in protest at the headquarters of Italian state television network RAI, demanding news coverage of a proposal for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty.

The UN proposal has backing from the Italian government coalition. But the proposal will expire in July unless it is approved by a majority of the 192 member-states at the UN. Radical Party lawmaker Maurizio Turco claims that 94 countries have indicated their support, and is urging an aggressive Italian effort to bring the matter to a vote.

Describing the conditions facing demonstrators at the RAI building, Turco said, “We have a bathroom, and RAI is permitting us to smoke in a small garden inside the building.”