On November 30, 1786, the death penalty was abolished for the first time in a state, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Since then, much progress has been made on the path that leads to the abolition of capital punishment in the world. But much can and must still be done against this highly inhuman as well as useless instrument, which has never been proven to be effective as a deterrent, while degrading the dignity of States, reducing them to mere executors of injustice.
The Community of Sant’Egidio, which in recent years has campaigned on all continents to achieve a universal moratorium, will celebrate an event at the Colosseum, next to the Arch of Constantine, on Sunday, November 30, at 4:30 pm.
The ceremony will be attended by:
- Musical performance by Vybes, a young Roman rapper
- Mario Marazziti, Coordinator of the campaign for the abolition of the death penalty
- Debra Milke, exonerated from Arizona’s death row
- Ileana Bello, Amnesty International
- Letter written by a Convict
- Youth for Peace interventions
For the occasion, Rome’s most famous monument will be the backdrop for a 3D Visual Mapping digital scenography on the theme “There is no justice without life”
At the same time, on November 30, over 2,000 Cities for Life around the world will illuminate their monuments to say “no” to the death penalty. This movement now involves thousands of people across every continent and has succeeded, through patient collective effort and relationships with various governments, in reducing the number of countries that retain the death penalty.
The event will be streamed on this site and on our social media channels.
With the support of:
- European Union
- Ministry of Culture
- Roma Capitale
- ACEA
- Auxilium Cooperative