Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors, has gained the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.
The organisation, made up of survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for its efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons.
Nobel Committee Chair Joergen Watne Frydnes mentioned the group had “contributed enormously to the institution of the nuclear taboo”.
Mr Frydnes warned the “nuclear taboo” was now “underneath stress” – and praised the group’s use of witness testimony to make sure nuclear weapons must not ever be used once more.
Based in 1956, the organisation sends survivors around the globe to share their testimonies of the “atrocious injury” and struggling prompted by way of nuclear weapons, in line with its web site.
Their work started nearly a decade after the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The group has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize “many instances” previously, together with in 2005 when it acquired a particular point out by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, its web site says.
On 6 August 1945, a US bomber dropped the uranium bomb above the town of Hiroshima, killing round 140,000 folks.
Three days later a second nuclear weapon was dropped on Nagasaki. Two weeks later Japan surrendered, ending World Struggle Two.
Chatting with reporters in Japan, a tearful Toshiyuki Mimaki, the co-head of the group, mentioned: “By no means did I dream this might occur,” the AFP information company quotes him as saying.
Mr Mimaki criticised the concept that nuclear weapons deliver peace. “It has been mentioned that due to nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. However nuclear weapons can be utilized by terrorists,” Mr Mimaki mentioned, in line with stories by AFP.
The choice to recognise Nihon Hidankyo means the Nobel committee has steered away from extra controversial nominees for the peace prize.
There had been widespread hypothesis the United Nations company supporting Palestinians – UNWRA – was being thought of for the prize.
Though the organisation is the primary supplier of humanitarian support to civilians in Gaza, 9 of its members had been fired for alleged involvement within the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7 final 12 months.
Greater than 12,000 folks had signed a petition urging the committee to not award UNWRA the prize.
There have been equal considerations in regards to the nomination of the Worldwide Court docket of Justice.
The UN’s predominant judicial organ is at the moment contemplating allegations that Israel has dedicated genocide in Gaza and has already issued an announcement urging the Israeli authorities to chorus from genocidal acts.
However whereas giving the prize to Nihon Hidankyo could also be a non-controversial alternative, it may additionally focus international consideration on the specter of nuclear battle which overshadows the combating in each Ukraine and the Center East.
All through Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its leaders have repeatedly hinted that they might be prepared to make use of tactical nuclear weapons if western allies enhance their assist for Ukraine in a approach Russia considers unacceptable.
These threats have succeeded in restraining western assist for worry of escalation.
Within the Center East, the subtext for a lot of Israel’s technique is the worry that Iran is in search of nuclear functionality, one thing Tehran denies.
The Nobel committee’s choice could renew a debate about the usage of nuclear weapons at a time when some international locations look enviously at their deterring energy.
This 12 months’s peace prize had 286 nominations, a quantity comprising 197 people and 89 organisations.
Nominations might be made by folks in positions of serious authority, together with members of nationwide assemblies, governments and worldwide courts of regulation.
Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi gained the prize in 2023, when she was honoured for her work combating the oppression of ladies in Iran.
