On 18-19 February 2014, the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty, together with Hands off Cain and No Peace Without Justice, and with the support of the ALDE Group at the European Parliament and the European Commission, convened a high level political and academic meeting on international issues of great political urgency: respect for the Rule of Law at the national and international level, against the resurgence of the “raison d’état”. The objective was to develop proposals that may bring the vast majority of democratic UN Member States back in line with international legality.

Marco Pannella‘s initiative, launched at the end of 2013, has already received the endorsement of, among others: Antonio Tajani, Vice-President of the European Commission; Elio Di Rupo, Prime Minister of Belgium; Emma Bonino, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Anna Maria Cancellieri, Italian Minister of Justice; Frank Kargbo, Minister of Justice of Sierra Leone; Marou Amadou, Minister of Justice and Spokesman of the Government of Niger; Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the liberal-democrats at the European Parliament and former Belgian Prime Minister; Louis Michel, Member of the European Parliament and former European Commissioner; Bernard Kouchner, former French Minister of Foreign Affairs; Giulio Maria Terzi di Sant’Agata, former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Niccolò Rinaldi, Struan Stevenson, Vittorio Prodi, Members of the European Parliament; Sam Rainsy, leader of the Cambodian opposition; Kok Ksor, leader of the Montagnard of Vietnam; Bakhtiar Amin, former Minister for Human Rights of Iraq; Benedetto Della Vedova, Italian Senator; Fausto Bertinotti, former Speaker of the Italian House of Representatives; Cesare Salvi, former Italian Senator and Minister; Archbishop Marchetto; Ambassador Giuseppe Cassini; and Professor Paolo Prodi.

During the two-day conference, various aspects of the necessary reforms of the international community with regard to the Rule of Law and Human Rights were discussed in depth,  and contrasted with the resurgence of the Raison d’état as the main guiding principle of democracies in their global action.

Particular emphasis was put on the “Right to Know“, also understood as the “Right to Truth“, with reference to the various laws on “freedom of information”, as well as the example of the British Commission chaired by Sir John Chilcot, and other official and unofficial inquiries into the Iraq War and its implications today.

• Download the poster for the Conference
• Watch the audio-video registration of the event
• For further information and details, check: www.radicalparty.org – contact: lharth@npwj.org