ABSTRACT: There is a right that too many states deny: the individual right not to be condemned to death. Parliamentarians and citizens, in the East and the West, must take immediate action to make this right become law.

From the hundreds of signatures, particularly from the Soviet Union, that the Radical Party has collected for the Manifesto-Appeal that demands the abolition of the death penalty in the USSR, there emerges the possibility of creating a first core of parliamentarians and personalities from the world of science, culture and the arts, to work for a common cause.

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

The Manifesto-Appeal, launched by the First Secretary of the Radical Party, Sergio Stanzani, a few hours after the end of the coup in the Soviet Union, was signed, on 30 September, by over 300 members of parliament, mostly in the Soviet Union and Italy, and in Burkina Faso, Czechoslovakia, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, the Ivory Coast, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as by numerous members of the European Parliament.

From these countries, and from Canada, Israel, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Senegal, Spain and the United States, the Radical Party has also received hundreds of signatures from public figures in the world of science, culture and art.

The text of the appeal was published in "Komsomolskaja Pravda", on 13 September, which also published a long interview with Marco Pannella, and that day had a circulation of over 20 million copies.

It is essential to organize this campaign in as many countries as possible, through parliamentarians who are Radical Party members and men and women in the East and the West who want to fight to confirm the individual right not to be condemned to death.

We are publishing below extracts from some of the letters of support for the Manifesto-Appeal against the death penalty that we have received in the last few weeks.

John Austin Baker, member of the House of Lords: "I am happy to add my name to the list of supporters. With my prayers for your campaign".

Tony Benn, Labour member of parliament in the House of Commons: "I support you. Use my name if it may help you to get further backing".

Caroline Anne Cox, Baroness, House of Lords: "I am very happy to add my name to your appeal and I am ready to warmly support any initiative that may stop the death penalty".

Paul Duvaleix, French deputy: "I very willingly sign your appeal. You can be sure of my support."

Lord St John of Fawsley, member of the House of Lords: "Dear Radical Party, you can count me among the supporters of the campaign for the complete abolition of the death penalty".

Hans Goran Franck, Swedish MP: "I wish to sign the appeal. I believe that the death penalty should be abolished in all countries. However, to achieve this objective, it is particularly important that the two superpowers the Soviet Union and the US, abolish capital punishment".

John Gilbert, member of the House of Commons: "In my opinion the application of the death penalty degrades those who apply it. Its use means that no error will ever be able to be remedied. You have my full support for your praiseworthy campaign".

Grigoris Giannaros, Greek deputy: "I put my signature to your appeal for the abolition of the death penalty".

Doug Hoyle, member of the House of Commons: "I am in agreement with you and intend to back your campaign for the abolition of the death penalty. Good luck in your undertaking".

Lord Haig of Bemersyde, member of the House of Lords: "I am writing to offer you my support in the campaign to abolish the death penalty. My very best wishes".

Robert Montdargent, French deputy: "I have great pleasure in supporting your campaign to effectively abolish the death penalty worldwide".

Else Marie Mortensen, Danish deputy, Socialdemocrat Group: "I should like to express my appreciation of your excellent initiative and my full support of your campaign to bring about the total abolition of the death penalty".

Karel Schwarzenberg, Czechoslovakian, former President of the Helsinki Committee, Head of President Havel's Cabinet, expressed his personal support: "President Havel looks upon this initiative with warm approval, but in his capacity as Head of State he cannot express his opinion by signing a petition".

Sir David Steel, Liberal, member of the House of Commons: "I am pleased to put my signature to your initiative".

Pierre Vallon, French senator: "I should like to inform you that during the debate on the death penalty I voted for its abolition, which was ratified by Parliament".

Gerrit Valk, Dutch deputy: "As a member of the Labour Party in the second House of the Dutch Parliament, I have paid great attention to this subject over the last few years, and consequently I am very happy that you have decided to organize, in the form of a motion, a worldwide campaign against this evil".

Erkki Virkkunen, Secretary General of the Finnish "Left Alliance" Group: "Dear Colleagues, the death penalty has been abolished in our country. As regards a worldwide campaign, our party is against the death penalty. The president of the parliamentary group and other members have asked me to inform you that they want to sign your appeal".

Lord Walsingham, member of the House of Lords: "I express my support of the appeal for the abolition of the death penalty in the Soviet Union, with particular reference to possible trials, including those immediately pending".

Tony Worthington, member of the House of Commons: "I welcome your parliamentary campaign for the complete abolition of the death penalty worldwide. This is extremely worthy. It is intolerable that the death penalty still exists in many countries and it would be a major step in the development of civilization in the world to abolish it. As you know, it is widely used as a means of political oppression, and the encouraging steps taken in the ex-Soviet Union should be accompanied by the abolition of the death penalty".