Marco Cappato, Lista Bonino MEP and HOC Board Member...

Marco Cappato, Lista Bonino MEP and HOC Board Member visited Mali on behalf of Hands Off Cain to discuss the death penalty and Mali's position on a possible resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions at the UN General Assembly.
He met various parliamentarians, government and political authorities including the Deputy-Speaker Assarid Ag Imbarcaouane and the Vice-President of the parliamentary Justice Commission Demba Traore. Mali has been observing a legal moratorium on executions since 2002.
The government intends to submit this decree to parliamentary approval. Its final aim is the abolition of the death penalty, however it intends to proceed gradually taking into account the fact that the country has a Muslim majority, and therefore considers the idea of a moratorium of vital importance, Cappato ascertained in his meetings.
After this visit, Demba Traore, following consultations with Foreign Minister Lassana Traore, announced on Italian radio that the country would vote in favour of a resolution for a moratorium on capital executions at the UN General Assembly.