Agreement signed in Rome, on 26 May 2017, to limit executions in Egypt, Somalia and Tunisia with calls for international law and training of lawyers.

“Containing the death penalty in time war on terrorism in Egypt, Somalia and Tunisia.”

This is the purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding signed today by Hands Off Cain and the Consiglio Nazionale Forense (National Council of Lawyers, that gives institutional representation to all Italian lawyers).

A targeted project aimed at achieving the most rigorous and broadest possible compliance with all the norms and standards of international law so that capital executions in the three countries concerned can be reduced to a minimum even in a fierce offensive phase of terrorism.

The protocol was signed this morning at the headquarters of the Consiglio Nazionale Forense by Secretary of HOC Sergio D’Elia and the president of Cnf Andrea Mascherin. “Containing the death penalty in time of terrorism in Egypt, Somalia and Tunisia” is first and foremost the name of a project approved and supported by the European Commission, under which Hands Off Cain is the leading organization.

In putting it into effect, the subject that is also an integral part of the the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty, can count on the active support of the Italian Council of Lawyers .

At the signing, in front of the Cnf plenum, it was Treasurer of Hands Off Cain Elisabetta Zamparutti who explained that “the contribution of Cnf is absolutely precious and necessary. It is so either because it will enable the activation of structured relations with the lawyers associations in the three countries, and because the project will consist, actually, in training, also by Italian lawyers, provided to all those subjects who can contribute to promote the observation of the rule of law, and thus limiting the use of the death penalty.

The subjects are parliamentarians, judges, prison officers and, of course, the lawyers in those countries. “This is a battle that sees us fully and proudly involved,” said Cnf chairman Mascherin. “It is not by chance that lawyers were the first to take on the commitment not only to limit but to the absolute abolition of death penalty. This Understanding is extraordinary, “continued Mascherin,” as of extraordinary value is the battle brought forth in this field by Hands Off Cain and the Radicals.

The road marked by Marco Pannella is also realized with projects like this one, and we lawyers love Pannella. The Cnf looks at the ultimate goal of abolition, and this project of containing the executions in the three countries can only be a passage.” In this regard, D’Elia explained “our plan to contain the death penalty in Tunisia, Egypt and Somalia has met the full agreement and the support of the European Commission precisely because it is immediately enforceable, in the direction of the inevitable idealistic aspiration to completely abolish executions”.

“This commitment”, added D’Elia, “is consistent with the ultimate goals of the moratorium and the ultimate abolition as a method for achieving them and an intermediate goal. It is also a method because it allows the maturing, first and foremost in the three countries concerned, of the awareness that can then create the ground to favor the actual death of the capital punishment.” At the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding were also Laura Hart, a member of the Board of Directors of Hands Off Cain and representing the Radical Party at the UN, and Francesco Caia, coordinator of the Human Rights Commission of the Cnf.

Right with Mr. Caia, immediately after the signing, Hands Off Cain’s representatives have started defining the steps in which the commitment of the lawyers will be realized within the project.