The village of Castro Marim is the only Algarve town that is part of the network of Cities against the Death Penalty.
The Catholic Community of Santo Egidio promotes today the annual celebration of the International Day of Cities for Life – Cities against the Death Penalty, which in 2015 more than 30 Portuguese localities join.
The initiative takes place on the anniversary of the first official abolition of the death penalty by a State, promulgated by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (Italy), in 1786.
At 18 pm, the lights in the Arco da Rua Augusta, in Lisbon, will come on to mark the day against the death penalty, an initiative that has the support of Amnesty International Portugal and Lisbon City Council.
In Portugal, more than 30 locations have already joined this worldwide movement: Abrantes, Alvito, Angra do Heroísmo, Benavente, Braga, Cascais, Castro Marim, Celorico da Beira, Chaves, Coimbra, Esposende, Évora, Grândola, Lages do Pico, Leiria , Lisbon, Loures, Moimenta da Beira, Nelas, Odivelas, Ourém, Ponte de Sor, Porto de Mós, Póvoa do Varzim, Salvaterra de Magos, Setúbal, Sintra, Tomar, Viana do Castelo, Vila Franca de Xira and Viseu.
As a symbolic act, the Community of Sant'Egidio invites participating cities, since 2002, to illuminate a public building or a historic monument, “demonstrating their opposition to capital punishment and declaring themselves in favor of life”.
This year, Curtis McCarty, a former US death penalty convict who spent 21 years on death row before being found innocent, is in Portugal to testify.
Since 2002, more than 2000 cities around the world have declared themselves 'Cities for Life' and are committed to the abolition of the death penalty, “making this day an important occasion to raise awareness and involve institutions in the search for a judicial system that do not incite death and respect life”, says the Catholic community.
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