On the Cities for Life Day, November 30, 573 cities[1] around the world celebrate the first abolition of the death penalty by a European state, decreed by Peter Leopold Joseph of Habsburg-Lorraine in 1786 for his Grand Duchy of Tuscany. On this occasion the participating cities show their commitment for life and against the death penalty. is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Leopold II (born Peter Leopold Joseph) (May 5, 1747 – March 1, 1792) was the penultimate Holy Roman Emperor from 1790 to 1792 and Grand Duke of Tuscany. ... Flag of the Habsburg Monarchy; also used as the flag of the Austrian Empire until the Ausgleich of 1867. ... 1786 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Tuscany (disambiguation). ...

On this day, participating cities enlighten their symbolic monument, such as the Atomium in Brussels, the Colosseum in Rome and the Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid. Participating cities include 34 capitals worldwide, and 573 cities and towns around the world, such as Rome, Brussels, Madrid, Ottawa, Mexico City, Berlin, Barcelona, Florence, Venice, Buenos Aires, Austin, Dallas, Antwerp, Vienna, Naples, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Reggio Emilia, Bogotà, Santiago de Chile. The Atomium (before renovation) Built for the 1958 Brussels Worlds Fair (Expo 58), the 103-metre (335-foot) tall Atomium monument represents a unit cell of an iron crystal (body-centred cubic), magnified 165 billion times, with vertical body diagonal, with tubes along the 12 edges of the cube... For other places with the same name, see Brussels (disambiguation). ... The Colosseum by night: exterior view of the best-preserved section. ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... This article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. ...

By this symbolic action, these cities demand a stay of all executions worldwide. This initiative is promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio and supported by the main international human rights organizations, gathered in the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty (Amnesty International, Ensemble contre la Peine de Mort, International Penal Reform, FIACAT). The church of SantEgidio, seat of the community of SantEgidio The Community of SantEgidio is a Christian community that is officially recognized by the Catholic Church as a Church public lay association. It claims 50,000 members in more than 70 countries. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amnesty international Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization which defines its mission as to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience... FIACAT (International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture) is an International Non-Governmental Organization founded in 1987. ...

In 2005, the Cities for Life Day also featured the "Africa for Life" conference about the death penalty in Africa, in which 14 ministers of justice from as many African countries participated. The conference took place in Florence, Tuscany. Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The Justice Minister is a cabinet position in a government. ... This article is about the city in Italy. ... For other uses, see Tuscany (disambiguation). ...

References

• Cities for Life Day
• 2005 "Africa for Life" conference