On World and European Day Against the Death Penalty, Italy firmly reiterates its opposition to the death penalty, a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment that violates human dignity, that does not enhance security or crime prevention, but rather makes judicial errors irreversible, with irreversible consequences.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirms that “the elimination of the death penalty is a priority of our human rights action. No man can take the life of another man. For decades, Italy has been at the forefront of promoting a global moratorium on executions: this is the first step towards the definitive abolition of capital punishment worldwide. We will continue to fight this battle, together with all those in civil society who are committed every day to ending this unjust practice,” Tajani said.
Historically, Italy, together with its European and international partners, has succeeded in gradually reducing the number of countries where executions take place. In 2024, a historic milestone was reached when 130 countries, two-thirds of the world, voted ‘yes’ to the UN Resolution for a universal moratorium, presented by Italy and Argentina.
Italy works every day with the European Union and associations such as Amnesty International, the Community of Sant’Egidio, Nessuno Tocchi Caino, and many other organizations that fight for human rights and dignity.
The fight against capital punishment is one of the priority issues on which Italy intends to focus its work within the United Nations Human Rights Council, for which it is a candidate for the 2026-2028 term.
