The Colosseum in Rome was illuminated evening as part of Italy's campaign for a global moratorium on the death penalty following the bungled hanging of Saddam Hussein. Following an initiative by the Italian capital's left-wing mayor Walter Veltroni, the arches of the world-famous 2,000-year-old Roman era stadium were lit up as night fell.
In attendance were members of Italy's libertarian Radical Party, whose 76-year-old leader Marco Pannella began a hunger strike on December 26 in support of the moratorium.
Italian politicians were unanimous in their revulsion over Saddam's execution, with former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi calling it a "political and historic error."
Rome's initiative will involve 85 UN member states that signed a non-binding declaration in December against capital punishment, Prime Minister Romano Prodi has said.
