To the Italian Government, the European Union and the UN Secretary-General
We, the undersigned, Italian citizens are bearing witness with dismay and indignation to the continuous massacre of innocent civilians by mercenary militia under the Gheddafi dictatorship. These atrocities of mass murder, arbitrary arrests, torture and mutilation inflicted on whoever dares to oppose the regime which illegally dominates Libya must not go unpunished.
The mercenary armed forces operating in Libya have to be stopped, and any recurrence of such crimes must be prevented. We ask that you do whatever you can to verify these violations of the UN Mercenary Convention and see to it that those responsible are punished. The Mercenary Convention became effective in 2001, but it has several loopholes and has not been implemented by those countries where the major “security companies” come from. The violence in Libya calls out for a more radical and efficient legal means to fight against the threat to society symbolized by the mercenary militia.
Mercenary activity undermines the peace and safety of everyone and should be considered on the same level as genocide, piracy and mass murder, in other words as a crime against humanity. Mercenarism in any shape or form should be outlawed, particularly when it operates under the guise of so-called “military action and private security” as it is currently doing in Libya, Africa, Afghanistan, Iraq and other sites of conflict where its intervention is mainly characterized by cruelty, lack of control and gross violation of both civil, penal and military codes. We insist, therefore, that you make every effort to define a new international convention which:
1) Forbids, and severely punishes anyone who disobeys, the recruitment, preparation, use, training or financing of mercenaries all over the world;
2) Absolutely bans countries from delegating or contracting out to private individuals responsibilities pertaining to national security or exclusive rights to physical violence;
3) Obliges the adhering countries to prohibit any military activity abroad on behalf of its own companies and citizens, as well as the hiring of its citizens by mercenary groups;
4) Provides adequate support programmes for the victims of mercenary action and criminal activity connected thereto.
Da L’ Unità