Yesterday, November 28, 1996, at 2:00 p.m. was beginning the work of the seminar on the Abolition of the Death Penalty, organized by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in co-operation with Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. A lot of famous politicians from Ukraina and abroad are participating it. International League "Hands off Cain" and Transnational Radical party was represented by Alexander KOSTRITSKIY - coordinator for Ukraina.

At the same time yesterday, from 1:00 p.m. till 6:00 p.m., "Hands off Cain" - citizens' and parliamentarians' league for the abolition of the death penalty worldwide by 2000, Transnational Radical party and Ukrainian Association of "Amnesty International" organized public action "To the European Union without death penalty". About 15 activists of mentioned organizations participated it. They come to the hotel "Kyivs'ka Rus'" (the place where the seminar was begin) with slogans in the different languages: "To the III century without death penalty", "Stop executions!", "The New Criminal Code of Ukraina without death penalty!", "We are against executions ... Mr Golovaty against ... Who will vote for the death penalty???", "No put to death Yes! Who will put the comma??", etc ... Two activists was in clothes of executioners during the demonstration and holding the slogans: "I don't want to kill more!", "I can't kill more!".

More than 10 journalists of the famous Ukrainian newspapers and 4 TV correspondents with cameramans coming to the action in order to make report about action and take an interview of organizers - Dmytro GROISMAN (Amnesty International) and Alexander KOSTRITSKIY (Radical party; "Hands off Cain").

During the action was a short meeting with Borys OLIYNYK - Ukrainian MP, chairman of the Commission of Foreign affairs and Relations with CIS of Verkhovna Rada (parliament), Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Chairperson of the Ukrainian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly, member of the Communist party of Ukraina. During this meeting he promised: "... Ukraina will abolish the death penalty after the adopting of the new Criminal Code ...", "... Communist faction will vote for the abolishing of the death penalty ...", "... Most probably, Ukraina will vote for the moratorium on executions in the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva..."

Today, November 29, 1996, at the second day of the seminar, at 12:00 a.m. was organized the meeting of delegations of "Hands off Cain" and minister of Justice of Ukraina Mr Sergey Golovaty. Mr Golovaty received for Mr Domenico CONTESTABILE - vice-president of Italian Senate, member of Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly; Mr Felice BESOSTRI - Italian senator, member of Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly; Mr Alexander KOSTRITSKIY - coordinator of RP and "Hands off Cain" for Ukraina. Delegations discussed with minister the situation about death penalty in Ukraina and informed minister about results of Moscow conference organized on November 23-24.