PRAGUE, MARCH 23 1990 - Yesterday during the meeting the Government decided to propose to the Federal Assembly the abolition of capital punishment and asked to substitute death penalty with life inprisonment to be applied only for extraordinary crimes.

This decision was taken after a longlasting campaign leaded by the Czechoslovak group of the Radical Party

"This is the first important step of the campaign" declared the radicals "leaded by members of Radical Party in Czechoslovakia and supported by hundreds of members of the party all over Europe"

Recalling the main trasnational initiative of this campaign, last january 300 members of Radical Party from different european countries went on a hunger strike in support of the hunger strike Jhon Bok was enduring from early january with others Czechoslovak members:

The hunger strike ended after a meeting in the Castle during which President Vaclav Havel officially promised to Jhon Bok that he would ask the Federal Assembly to abolish death penalty as soon as possible.

And we have to remember that President Havel had pubblicly criticized Parliaments who do not abolish capital punishment.

"we are happy today" declared the czechoslovak radicals" even if we think that life inprisonment is not at all a solution. Therefore we will continue our struggle for the final abolition of death penalty in Czechoslovakia and in the world".