15/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - At the initiative of the association called "Together against the Death Penalty", the first world congress against the death penalty will be held in Strasbourg, from 21 to 23 June. The initiative is above all supported by the European Parliament and by the Council of Europe. The latter will host an international colloquium on the question on its premises, on 21 and 22 June. The next afternoon, at the EP Chamber, the presidents of the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe and of the European Parliament, Lord Russell-Johnston and Nicole Fontaine, and eighteen presidents of national parliaments of different regions of the world will sign an appeal to States for a global moratorium on executions with a view to universal abolition.