World News
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its activism against nuclear weapons.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the award was given because “the taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is coming under pressure.”
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a change to his country's nuclear doctrine to stop the West from allowing Ukraine to attack Russia with longer-range weapons. It appeared to significantly lower the brink for the possible use of Russia's nuclear arsenal.
Watne Frydnes said the Nobel Committee “would like to honor all survivors who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, chose to use their costly experience to cultivate hope and commitment to peace.”
Hidankyo Hiroshima Branch Chairman Tomoyuki Mimaki, who was readily available on the town hall for the announcement, cheered and cried when he received the news.
“Is it really true? Unbelievable!” Mimaki screamed.
Efforts to abolish nuclear weapons have already been recognized by the Nobel Committee. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons won the Peace Prize in 2017, and in 1995 Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs won for “their efforts to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in international politics and in the longer term.” To eliminate weapons.”
This yr's award was presented against the backdrop of devastating conflicts within the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.
“It is very clear that the threat of using nuclear weapons puts pressure on the important international norm, the taboo on the use of nuclear weapons,” Watne Frydnes said in response to a matter about whether Russia's rhetoric around nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine voted had influenced this yr's decision.
“And that’s why it’s alarming to see how threats of use are damaging this norm too. “It is vital for all humanity to maintain a strong international taboo against its use,” he added.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on This Nobel Peace Prize sends a powerful message. We have an obligation to recollect. And a fair greater duty to guard future generations from the horrors of nuclear war.”
Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the Peace Prize must be awarded for “the greatest or best work for brotherhood among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
Last yr's award went to the imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for her advocacy for ladies's rights and democracy and against the death penalty. The Nobel Committee said it was also a recognition of “the hundreds of thousands of people” who demonstrated against “the policies of discrimination and oppression of women by Iran's theocratic regime.”
In a yr of conflict, there was speculation that the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides the winner, would select to not award a prize in any respect. The prize has been withheld 19 times since 1901, including during each world wars. The last time it was not awarded was in 1972.
Rising violence within the Middle East has killed tens of 1000’s of individuals over the past yr, including women and youngsters. The war, sparked by a bloody raid on Israel by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023, that left about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, dead, has spread to the broader region.
Last week, Israel sent ground troops to Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah militants who were firing rockets at Israel, while Iran – which supports each Hamas and Hezbollah – fired ballistic missiles at Israel. Israel has not yet responded, but its defense minister promised this week that its retaliation could be each devastating and surprising.
The war in Gaza has killed greater than 42,000 people, in keeping with the Gaza Health Ministry. The count doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants; greater than half of them are women and youngsters. In Lebanon, greater than 1,400 people have been killed, 1000’s more injured and around one million displaced since mid-September, when the Israeli military dramatically expanded its offensive against Hezbollah.
The war in Ukraine, sparked by the Russian invasion, is approaching its third winter with massive lack of life on each side.
The United Nations has confirmed that greater than 11,000 Ukrainian civilians have died. However, this doesn’t consider the as much as 25,000 Ukrainians believed to have been killed in Russia's capture of town of Mariupol, or unreported deaths in occupied territories.
The Nobel Prizes are value 11 million Swedish crowns (US$1 million). In contrast to the opposite prizes, that are chosen and announced in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed that the Peace Prize must be decided and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The Nobel season ends on Monday with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize, officially often called the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in memory of Alfred Nobel.
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