Once the site of executions for public entertainment, Rome's Colosseum has
become a symbol of non-violence. On Saturday evening, days after the botched
execution of Saddam Hussein, the arches of the first century amphitheatre were
lit with golden beams, shining far brighter than normal, in support of the
Italian government's drive to secure a UN moratorium on the death penalty.

The Colosseum has since 1999 been specially lit whenever a death penalty is
commuted or when a state abolishes capital punishment. This time it was Mayor of
Rome Walter Veltroni who requested the Colosseum to be illuminated, adding
weight to PM Prodi's new mission at the UN Security Council.

"The illumination of the Colosseum is a warning sent by Rome to the world…
supported in the usual non-violent way by Marco Pannella [leader of the Italian
Radical Party] via his fasting," said Mayor Veltroni. He added: "for
years, this has been a symbolic site of peace and reconciliation. I think back
to 2002, when Israeli and Palestinian officials shook hands inside the
Colosseum, as well as the torchlit procession for 9/11 and after the massacre of
children at the school in Beslan."

Amnesty International's report for 2005 found that over 2,100 people were
executed in 53 countries around the world. The vast majority of all known
executions occurred in China (at least 1,770), while Iran had the second highest
number with at least 94, followed by Saudi Arabia with at least 86 and the USA
with 60.

Abolition of the death penalty is a condition for entry into the EU and Council
of Europe, with the former guaranteeing the right to life and prohibition of
torture via the European Convention on Human Rights. The EU also pursues a high
profile policy in international human rights fora, and is taking a lead with
respect to developing countries.

However, a similar initiative last year by the Italian government was quickly
dropped due to opposition from several EU states. New UN Secretary General,
Korean Ban-Ki Moon, was also initially opposed to the move. He has since
declared that the UN must try to secure a world without capital punishment.<br>

Howard Hudson,
8 January 2007