The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nippon Hidankyo, the Japanese organization of victims of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its work against nuclear weapons.
Norwegian Nobel Committee Chairman Jørgen Watne Fridnes said the prize was awarded because “the taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.”
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced changes to his country’s nuclear doctrine aimed at deterring Western powers from allowing Ukraine to attack Russia with long-range weapons. That appears to have significantly lowered the threshold for Russia’s possible use of nuclear weapons.
Watne Fridnes said the Nobel committee would like to “pay tribute to all survivors who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, chose to use their costly experiences to foster hope and commitment to peace.” “
Tomoyuki Mimaki, chairman of the Hiroshima branch of Hidankyo, who was waiting for the announcement at city hall, cheered and shed tears when he heard the news.
“Is that true? I can’t believe it!” Mimaki exclaimed.
Efforts to eradicate nuclear weapons have been recognized by the Nobel Committee. In 2017, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons won the Peace Prize, and in 1995, Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs “reduced the role of nuclear weapons in international politics and The award was given in recognition of the company’s efforts to reduce the number of roles played by the company. , to eliminate such weapons. ”
This year’s award was presented against the backdrop of devastating conflicts escalating in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.
Responding to a question about whether Russia’s rhetoric regarding nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine was appropriate, Watne Fridnes said: “It is clear that the threat of using nuclear weapons puts pressure on important international norms, namely the taboo on the use of nuclear weapons.” ” he said. It influenced this year’s decision.
“It is therefore alarming to see how this norm is being undermined by threats of use. Upholding strong international taboos against use is of vital importance to all of humanity,” he said. added.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on the This Nobel Peace Prize sends a powerful message: We have an obligation to remember, and an even greater obligation to protect future generations from the horrors of nuclear war.
Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the Peace Prize should be awarded to “the most or most outstanding activities for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, for the holding and promotion of peace conferences.” Ta.
Last year’s award went to Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist who is imprisoned for defending women’s rights and democracy and opposing the death penalty. The Nobel Committee said it was also a recognition of the “hundreds of thousands” who demonstrated against “Iran’s theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women.”
In a year of continued conflict, there was speculation that the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides the winners, might choose not to award the prize at all. Since 1901, the bounty has been withheld 19 times, including during both World Wars. The last time it did not win was in 1972.
Violence has escalated in the Middle East over the past year, leaving tens of thousands of people dead, including women and children. The war, sparked by a bloody attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and spilled over into the wider region.
Last week, Israel sent ground forces to Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah militants who fired rockets at Israel, and Iran, which supports both Hamas and Hezbollah, fired ballistic missiles at Israel. Israel has not yet responded, but its defense minister made it clear this week that Israel’s retaliation would be devastating and stunning.
More than 42,000 people have been killed in the war in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but more than half are women and children. More than 1,400 people have been killed, thousands more injured and nearly 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon since mid-September, when the Israeli military dramatically escalated its offensive against Hezbollah.
The war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion, is entering its third winter with massive loss of life on both sides.
The United Nations has confirmed the deaths of more than 11,000 Ukrainian civilians, including 25,000 Ukrainians said to have been killed during Russia’s occupation of Mariupol, as well as thousands of others reported in the occupied territories. Deaths that have not occurred are not taken into account.
The Nobel Prize carries a prize money of 11 million Swedish krona ($1 million). Unlike other prizes, which are chosen and announced in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed that the Peace Prize would be determined and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The Nobel Prize season ends on Monday with the announcement of the winners of the prize in economics, officially known as the Swedish Bank Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel.
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Mr. Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands, and Mr. Bekatros from Athens, Greece. Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Lori Hinnant in Paris, and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland contributed.