Special edition: today, four years ago, Marco Pannella passed away

Special edition: today, four years ago, Marco Pannella passed away

Strasbourg/Milan, 15 May 2020: Senator Roberto Rampi elected General Rapporteur on a Report on “Freedom of the media, public trust and the Right to Know” in the Committee on culture, science, education and media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Today for years ago, founder and Honorary President of our Global Committee for the Rule of Law, Marco Pannella, passed away. Those who met him know how steadfast and lively he was, especially in the face of adversities. I would like to recall what our friend and honorary member Norman Baker wrote about him on the 90th anniversary of his birthday: “Sadly Marco Pannella is no longer with us but we can take heart that the ideas he championed are as relevant today as when he espoused them.”

In this respect, it is with great pleasure indeed that I wish to inform you that on last Friday, 15 May, the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elected Senator Roberto Rampi as general rapporteur on the Report on “Freedom of Media, Public Trust and the Right to Know”.

First of all, on behalf of the Global Committee, I wish to thank wholeheartedly Senator Rampi on his new role. The draft resolution, which will be redacted and examined within the Committee, will then be brought before the Strasbourg Plenary Assembly of 47 European countries for final approval. Senator Rampi was appointed during a remote meeting of the Committee, which was the first to use technology allowing its members to participate, intervene and vote remotely.

In accepting the appointment, Roberto Rampi stated: “The right to know is a long-standing issue that goes to the heart of the meaning of our Parliamentary Assembly, because democracy is only possible if we have the tools to understand, the tools to know and to critically discern. In these most difficult times, we understand how the citizen’s right to know is essential also for the health of citizens, as understanding what is happening is crucial in determining our behaviour. Those who had the tools to understand had more chances than others of saving their lives.” The right to know is thus taken up in a supranational institutions whose main purpose is to protect and to promote the values underlying democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

It is an intermediate milestone on the long road towards its recognition on which the Nonviolent Radical Party Transnational Transparty and the Global Committee for the Rule of Law “Marco Pannella” have been engaged. This result pushes us to continue our campaign for this democratic goal through parliamentary and institutional action, precisely at a time when the fragility of many Parliaments has emerged. This step has been made possible by those who have tenaciously continued to promote this theme that has not yet made it to the forefront of the international political agenda, but which will be decisive for the change we want to see. A few days ahead of the fourth anniversary of Marco Pannella’s passing, we are happy to be able to announce that his, our, “last battle” continues.

Finally, I take this opportunity to draw your attention to our petition on the right to know applied to the specific pandemic crisis.

Matteo Angioli
Secretary of the Global Committee for the Rule of Law “Marco Pannella”

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