12/09/07 -- On Friday 7th December the European Union's Ministry of Justice passed a unanimous vote for a European Anti Death Penalty Day. The vote was made possible due to a change in the Polish government. The country's current governer, leader of the Right Donald Tusk, lifted the veto imposed by his predecessor, the ultra-conservative Jaroslaw Kaczynksi.

As the death penalty no longer exists in Europe, the old Polish prime minister deemed the proposal a waste of time, unless it was used to tackle the broader issues of 'protection of life', advocating a ban on euthanasia and abortion.

Franco Frattini, Italian Commissioner and Head of Justice, Freedom & Security, first came up with the idea in conjunction with the European Council in Strasbourg who, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, has made the abolition of the death penalty one of its' primary objectives and also one of its' membership conditions.

The European Council in Brussels was unable to participate in the initiative due to its voting system, which requires a unanimous result. In Strasbourg, however, where only a single majority is needed, Poland didn't dare oppose the motion, knowing it would stand alone against the other 46 member states and be ridiculed by its old enemy Russia. The European Anti Death Penalty Day will now take place every year on 10th October.

The proposal has enjoyed particular support from Italy. Rome has fought for years at the United Nation's annual general meetings to put an end to executions. Italy saw its' first victory on 15th November when the proposal was accepted by a United Nations committee, despite opposition from the United States, China and Iran.

[Full article]

By Rafaele Rivais

--Translated by Natalie Jennings

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