On 30 November 1786, the death penalty was abolished in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It was the first state to abolish it. Since then much has been done on the path to the abolition of capital punishment in the world. Yet much can and must still be done against this highly inhuman and useless instrument. Its effectiveness as a deterrent has never been proven, while it degrades the dignity of the state, reducing it to mere executor of injustice.
The Community of Sant'Egidio, that has been campaining in recent years in all continents for a universal moratorium, invites everyone on Thursday 30 November, at 6pm, to a demonstration at the Colosseum, next to the Arch of Constantine.
The ceremony will be attended by:
- Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant’Egidio
- Miguel Gotor, Municipality of Rome Councilor for Culture
- Fatime Zara Douga, Mayor of Ndjamena – Chad
- Gary Drinkard, exonerated from death row in Alabama – USA
Rome's most famous monument will be illuminated for the occasion and will be the backdrop to a 3D Visual Mapping digital scenography on the theme 'No justice without life'.
On 30 November, more than 2,000 Cities for Life around the world will light up their monuments to say 'no' to the death penalty. This movement now involves thousands of people on all continents and has succeeded through patient collective efforts and relations with different governments in reducing the number of retentionist countries.
The event will be streamed on this site and on our social channels
