ABSTRACT: On 23 August 1991, a few hours after the end of the coup, the First Secretary of the Radical Party, Sergio Stanzani, launched a Manifesto-Appeal for the abolition of the death penalty in the Soviet Union.

On 30 September, hundreds of members of parliament from Europe, Africa, the United States, but especially the Soviet Union and Italy, as well as famous public figures from the world of science, culture and art, supported this initiative, and showed they were willing to commit themselves to it.

But consensus is not sufficient. Action and common commitment must be organized, so that the individual right not to be condemned to death is confirmed, so that the death penalty is effectively abolished worldwide. The Radical Party intends to organize parliamentarians and citizens, activists for non-violence, in support of this objective.

A "Parliamentary League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty by the Year 2000": this is what we propose to members of parliament and citizens in all democratic countries. We could draw up an amendment to the Human Rights Charter, introducing the right of the individual not to be sentenced to death by law.

We are planning to organize a convention and a big March in Rome during Easter 1992.

This project, this campaign and this scenario, if implemented, would be the natural follow-up to the collection of signatures on the Manifesto-Appeal for the legal and actual abolition of the death penalty in the Soviet Union: we think we will be able to deliver the signatures to Gorbachev, Yeltsin and the Presidents of the Republics, in Moscow, during the second half of February 1992.

(The Party New, n.4, September 1991)

The text of the Manifesto-Appeal

"We, the undersigned, call upon the Presidents of the Republics of the Soviet Union, and President Gorbachev in particular, to follow the great victory that they and the Russian people have won in the last few days, by carrying out an act that would reinforce their democratic and nonviolent choice, and serve as an example to the entire world.

We call upon President Gorbachev and the other Russian leaders to suspend all existing death sentences immediately, and to take formal action to abolish the death penalty in the Soviet Union now.

We ask that the coup leaders be justly tried, but without the death penalty being applied should it still exist at the time of their trial.

Abolishing the death penalty is both courageous and revolutionary, but it is a choice that democracies throughout the world are expecting from the Russians, who acted with such tremendous civil and human awareness during the recent dramatic events."

Appointment in Moscow, February 1992

Manifestos, appeals, and declarations from public figures in politics, culture, the arts, science, and religion have always been promoted and (often) used for the finest causes. Generally they don't last long, they may (or may not) achieve anything, especially if the objective is precise and modest, even if it is symbolically worthy, and not uncommonly they are a convenient way of appeasing the conscience of signatories and promoters.

Our project is different, its aim is humane and has historic value. For well over a century campaigns to abolish the death penalty have had a positive outcome in many countries around the globe. Where this has happened there is a tendency to defend this victory rather than extend and strengthen it. So that it continually risks being called into question and, in many places, particularly in the Unites States today - in so many respects the heart of the "democratic world" - the return to the use of the death penalty is constantly increasing.

The Radical Party asks those who read these pages to make an effort to send in their signatures and those of their parliamentary colleagues and friends, to the appeal addressed to Presidents Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and those of all the Republics of the Soviet Union, for the legal and actual abolition of the death penalty.

The closing date is 31 December 1991. We hope that in all the democratic Parliaments, at least some colleagues will want to contribute to the universal character of the appeal and its premises. We will immediately organize the official delivery of the appeal to the addressees, and we hope that the major television and radio networks, and the press will give ample coverage to this event. It would be wonderful and even more effective if the delegation were very large, and included at least one representative from dozens of democratic Parliaments around the world. We therefore ask all our friends to let us know whether they will be available to join us in Moscow, presumably during the last two weeks of February 1992.

World Parliamentary Congress and a People's March in Rome during Easter 1992

We are also organizing the first World Parliamentary Congress "For the Abolition of the Death Penalty by the Year 2000", to set up a League with this objective and examine a juridical-political project aimed to achieve this aim.

This Congress will probably be held from 15 to 18 April 1992, to culminate, on Sunday 19 April, in a People's March through Rome to St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, just before the Pope's Easter address is broadcast worldwide. We intend to invite the Dalai Lama, the winner of the Nobel Prize for peace, and other religious leaders, to attend.

This is the possible formal, imposing, external scenario for launching the Campaign or Project, but as regards its content and method, we must work to draw up possible, suitable concrete objectives to greet the next century with this definitive victory, at least in terms of law.

To uphold the individual right not to be sentenced to death by law

One of the possibilities that might be developed is that of an "amendment" to the Charter of Human Rights, that introduces the individual right of every living human being not be sentenced to death by law or by the decision of any public authority, or recognized by a public authority, for any reason whatsoever. This "amendment" should take a legal form that guarantees it, through preventive and repressive or punitive means, effective binding force.

In conformity with the culture that we favour we may hope that the path chosen will not be "prohibitionist" and "negative", but one of very strict and progressive regulations that take into account the different historical, cultural, legislative and social situations which would be the departure point for bringing about the implementation of the new "individual right".

The possibilities, the scenario. Worldwide information campaign.

We ask our friends to keep in mind that what we are describing is merely a possibility, a scenario, an example.

In actual fact this is a task that the transnational and transdivisional Radical Party, and the "Parliamentary League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty Worldwide by the Year 2000" (parliamentary not in the exclusive and excluding sense, but to stress this particularly new and important feature) associated to it, could not even dream of achieving alone.

But it is possible to imagine that we might, within a reasonable space of time, organize the common action of agencies and branches of the United Nations, of Leagues for civil, political and human rights, which have been doing good work for some time, of religious and spiritual institutions, and also of scientific, university, state organizations and major Foundations. Naturally we would need suitable means and an adequate worldwide information campaign, with logos and posters, to mobilize public opinion.

The importance of your membership and mobilization.è

Would this hope, this possibility, this aim alone be enough to justify your membership fee or a financial contribution, and not only symbolical support, to the Radical Party, that otherwise will soon have exhausted its small capital of five million dollars (which we mentioned in the last issue) that a few thousand people, transnational activists for nonviolence and justice, have collected for this purpose? Can we ask you yourselves to collect these signatures, as propaganda (we must not be afraid of this term, though it has been discredited till now) of this project, of how urgent it is to work for its success?