Although the capital punishment has been abolished all across the European Union and among members of the Council of Europe, the reality is that this is a practice that continues to be a heavy legal reality in other parts of the world.
That is why, there is still a network of 2000 global cities that promote the message of abolishing the death penalty anywhere this has not yet occurred. The Spanish city of Valladolid joined that network in 2018, and this year it is has designed some campaigns at the local level to remind its residents about the need to continuously fight for the upholding of human rights.
Amnesty International reports that 657 executions in 20 countries were carried out in 2018
The Valladolid City Council wants to show its commitment to democratic ideals and the respect for the value of human life by launching awareness-raising actions, in conjunction with Amnesty International, the world’s foremost NGO dedicated to this issue.
It has become a common practice for member cities to illuminate important buildings with colours and messages to remind residents that capital punishment is a regressive and outdated way of resolving conflicts and meting out punishment and that it is a favoured tool of repression of dictatorships. Yesterday, 29 November, the Millenium Dome was illuminated in yellow – the colour of hope and Amnesty International.
A large banner (seen on the photo) denouncing capital punishment and celebrating life was placed on the San Benito building, home to the Tourism Office of the city, where it will remain for 2 weeks. The municipal website has also published a link to the manifesto against the death penalty so that people curious to know more can read the text.
The global network was begun by the town of San Egidio, Italy, in 2002. San Egidio is located in Tuscany, which back in 1786 was a sovereign state and the first one to abolish the capital punishment in that same year.
Source: TheMayor.EU
