(THE NEW PARTY, MARCH 1993)

A bill to abolish the death penalty from the military code, signed by representatives of all the Italian political groups, has achieved an "absolute majority" of signatures in a few days.

Starting on 16 February, signatures were collected in the Italian Parliament for a motion which would commit the Government to invite the Anglo-Indian writer, Salman Rushdie, on an official visit to Italy. The writer has been obliged to live clandestinely ever since he was condemned to death by the Ayatollah Khomeini, a sentence which was recently confirmed - after four years - by the Islamic religious authorities. The motion was proposed by Marco Taradash - European Federalist Group - and presented in the Senate by Cesare Salvi - Democratic Party of the Left - both of whom are founder members of the "International Parliamentary League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty".