ABSTRACT: A letter was addressed to 600 Councillors inviting them to take action to abolish the death penalty. The reply came immediately: 46 motions approved by Assemblies, $40,000 in contributions. We are publishing here the resolution passed by the Bassano del Grappa Town Council, which reflects public opinion in Italy and abroad; the appeal addressed to the U.N., and some of its most important signatories

(WORLDWIDE PARLIAMENTARY CAMPAIGN FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY BY THE YEAR 200 - Radical party/International League for the abolition of the death penalty by the year 2000)

Dear Councillor,

The International League for the Abolition of the Death Penalty by the Year 2000 aims to establish strict and progressive penal regulations, rather than merely being "against the death penalty" in theory or as a matter of principle. For example, our main objective in the United States is to obtain at least a three-year moratorium of executions of prisoners who are being held on Death Row; in fact, 1500 people are are now waiting to be executeded, one after the other.

In unitarian countries, such as Iran, the Sudan and the Arabian countries, where the Koran is law, the introduction of new positive laws, of guarantees for the accused (legal defence, the right to appeal, and the right of pardon as a final ruling) would be making real progress, compared with the situation today.

The following are some of the procedures we intend to employ: the presentation of identical drafts of an abolitionist law in various parliaments on the same day; a request that the death penalty be abolished from Military Codes, starting with those European countries where it is still enforced - which unfortunately includes Italy.

As an insitution, you could be of great help to the campaign, particularly by doing the following:

a) persuading the group you belong to and other council groups, and also the council as a whole, to join the International League, with a contribution of at least a million lire.

b) presenting a motion addressed both to the U.N. and your own Government, which requests that a resolution based on the appeal presented to Ibrahima Fall, during the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, be placed on the agenda of the next U.N. General Assembly.

If you would like to help us to abolish the death penalty, please call the Radical Party and ask for Sergio D'Elia or Mariateresa Di Lascia.

Abolitionist motions have already been approved by the Regional Councils of:

Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardia, Piemonte e Veneto; the Provincial Councils of Bari, Cremona, Milano e Sondrio; the Town Councils of Albano S. Alessandro, Arona, Bassano del Grappa, Bisignano, Bologna, Borgo S. Lorenzo, Cagliari, Casalmaggiore, Colle Val D'Elsa, Cosenza, Farra D'Isonzo, Ferrara, Firenze, Fogliano Redipuglia, Gradisca D'Isonzo, Greve in Chianti, Grosseto, Latronico, Marradi, Massa, Medea, Pesaro, Padova, Pontassieve, Pontremoli, Ravenna, Sagrado, Schio, Sesto Fiorentino, Sondrio, Soresina, Trani, Tarsia, Viareggio; the University of Calabria.

The following have already become founder members of the Regional Councils of :

Provincial Councils of Bari, Genova, Milano, Potenza, Sondrio e Torino; the Town Councils of Arona, Bassano del Grappa, Bologna, Cagliari, Colle Val D'Elsa, Ferrara, Firenze, Greve in Chianti, La Maddalena, L'Aquila, Pesaro, Padova, Pontassieve, Pontremoli, Schio, Sesto Fiorentino, Sondrio, Trani, Viareggio; the Green Group (Mao Valpiana), the Antiprohibitionist Group (Emilio Vesce), the Socialist Group (Pia Sartori) of the Veneto Regional Council; the Antiprohibitionist Group (Giorgio Inzani), the Green Group (Fiorello Cortiana), the Socialist Group (Vittorino Baruffi) of the Lombardy Regional Council; the Antiprohibitionist Group of the Abruzzi Regional Council (Luigi Del Gatto); the Green Group of the Caltanissetta Provincial Council (Andrea Maria Longo).

Abolitionist motions have already been approved by the Regional Councils of:

Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardia, Piemonte e Veneto; the Provincial Councils of Bari, Cremona, Milano e Sondrio; the Town Councils of Albano S. Alessandro, Arona, Bassano del Grappa, Bisignano, Bologna, Borgo S. Lorenzo, Cagliari, Casalmaggiore, Colle Val D'Elsa, Cosenza, Farra D'Isonzo, Ferrara, Firenze, Fogliano Redipuglia, Gradisca D'Isonzo, Greve in Chianti, Grosseto, Latronico, Marradi, Massa, Medea, Pesaro, Padova, Pontassieve, Pontremoli, Ravenna, Sagrado, Schio, Sesto Fiorentino, Sondrio, Soresina, Trani, Tarsia, Viareggio; the University of Calabria.

The following have already become founder members of the Regional Councils of :

Lazio, Piemonte e Veneto; Provincial Councils of Bari, Genova, Milano, Potenza, Sondrio e Torino; the Town Councils of Arona, Bassano del Grappa, Bologna, Cagliari, Colle Val D'Elsa, Ferrara, Firenze, Greve in Chianti, La Maddalena, L'Aquila, Pesaro, Padova, Pontassieve, Pontremoli, Schio, Sesto Fiorentino, Sondrio, Trani, Viareggio; the Green Group (Mao Valpiana), the Antiprohibitionist Group (Emilio Vesce), the Socialist Group (Pia Sartori) of the Veneto Regional Council; the Antiprohibitionist Group (Giorgio Inzani), the Green Group (Fiorello Cortiana), the Socialist Group (Vittorino Baruffi) of the Lombardy Regional Council; the Antiprohibitionist Group of the Abruzzi Regional Council (Luigi Del Gatto); the Green Group of the Caltanissetta Provincial Council (Andrea Maria Longo).