The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its activism towards nuclear weapons.Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, stated the award was made because the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.”In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a shift in his nation’s nuclear doctrine, in a transfer geared toward discouraging the West from permitting Ukraine to strike Russia with longer-range weapons. It appeared to considerably decrease the brink for the attainable use of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.Watne Frydnes stated the Nobel committee “wishes to honor all survivors who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, have chosen to use their costly experience to cultivate hope and engagement for peace.”Hidankyo’s Hiroshima department chairperson, Tomoyuki Mimaki, who was standing by on the metropolis corridor for the announcement, cheered and teared up when he acquired the news.“Is it really true? Unbelievable!” Mimaki screamed.Efforts to eradicate nuclear weapons have been honored up to now by the Nobel committee. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons gained the peace prize in 2017, and in 1995 Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs gained for “their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and, in the longer run, to eliminate such arms.”This yr’s prize was awarded towards a backdrop of devastating conflicts raging on the earth, notably within the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.“It is very clear that threats of using nuclear weapons are putting pressure on the important international norm, the taboo of using nuclear weapons,” Watne Frydnes stated in response to a query on whether or not the rhetoric from Russia surrounding nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine had influenced this yr’s determination.“And therefore it is alarming to see how threats of use is also damaging this norm. To uphold an international strong taboo against the use is crucial for all of humanity,” he added.EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on X that “the spectre of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still looms over humanity. This makes the advocacy of Nihon Hidankyo invaluable. This Nobel Peace Prize sends a powerful message. We have the duty to remember. And an even greater duty to protect the next generations from the horrors of nuclear war.”Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the peace prize should be awarded for “probably the most or the most effective work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or discount of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”Last yr’s prize went to jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for her advocacy of ladies’s rights and democracy, and towards the demise penalty. The Nobel committee stated it additionally was a recognition of “the hundreds of thousands of people” who demonstrated towards “Iran’s theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women.”In a yr of battle, there had been some hypothesis earlier than the announcement that the Norwegian Nobel Committee that decides on the winner would choose to not award a prize in any respect this yr. The prize has been withheld a complete of 19 occasions since 1901, together with throughout each world wars. The final time it was not awarded was in 1972.In the Middle East, persistently spiraling ranges of violence over the previous yr have killed tens of hundreds of individuals, together with hundreds of youngsters and girls. The battle, sparked by a bloody raid into Israel by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, 2023 that left about 1,200 folks useless, largely civilians, has spilled out into the broader area.In the previous week, Israel despatched floor troops into Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah militants firing rockets into Israel, whereas Iran – which backs each Hamas and Hezbollah – fired a barrage of ballistic missiles into Israel. Israel has but to reply, however its protection minister vowed this week that its retaliation could be each devastating and shocking.The battle in Gaza has killed greater than 42,000 folks, based on Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its depend however says greater than half are ladies and kids. In Lebanon, greater than 1,400 folks have been killed, with hundreds extra injured and round 1 million displaced since mid-September, when the Israeli army dramatically expanded its offensive towards Hezbollah.The battle in Ukraine, sparked by Russia’s invasion, is heading towards its third winter with an enormous lack of human life on either side.The U.N. has confirmed greater than 11,000 Ukrainian civilian useless, however that doesn’t keep in mind as many as 25,000 Ukrainians believed to have died throughout the Russian seize of town of Mariupol or unreported deaths within the occupied territories.The Nobel prizes carry a money award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million). Unlike the opposite Nobel prizes which can be chosen and introduced in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed the peace prize be determined and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee.The Nobel season ends Monday with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize, formally often known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.___Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands, and Becatoros from Athens, Greece. Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Lori Hinnant in Paris and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, contributed.
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its activism towards nuclear weapons.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, stated the award was made because the “taboo against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.”
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a shift in his nation’s nuclear doctrine, in a transfer geared toward discouraging the West from permitting Ukraine to strike Russia with longer-range weapons. It appeared to considerably decrease the brink for the attainable use of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.
Watne Frydnes stated the Nobel committee “wishes to honor all survivors who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, have chosen to use their costly experience to cultivate hope and engagement for peace.”
Hidankyo’s Hiroshima department chairperson, Tomoyuki Mimaki, who was standing by on the metropolis corridor for the announcement, cheered and teared up when he acquired the news.
“Is it really true? Unbelievable!” Mimaki screamed.
Efforts to eradicate nuclear weapons have been honored up to now by the Nobel committee. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons gained the peace prize in 2017, and in 1995 Joseph Rotblat and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs gained for “their efforts to diminish the part played by nuclear arms in international politics and, in the longer run, to eliminate such arms.”
This yr’s prize was awarded towards a backdrop of devastating conflicts raging on the earth, notably within the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.
“It is very clear that threats of using nuclear weapons are putting pressure on the important international norm, the taboo of using nuclear weapons,” Watne Frydnes stated in response to a query on whether or not the rhetoric from Russia surrounding nuclear weapons in its invasion of Ukraine had influenced this yr’s determination.
“And therefore it is alarming to see how threats of use is also damaging this norm. To uphold an international strong taboo against the use is crucial for all of humanity,” he added.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated on X that “the spectre of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still looms over humanity. This makes the advocacy of Nihon Hidankyo invaluable. This Nobel Peace Prize sends a powerful message. We have the duty to remember. And an even greater duty to protect the next generations from the horrors of nuclear war.”
Alfred Nobel stated in his will that the peace prize should be awarded for “probably the most or the most effective work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or discount of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
Last yr’s prize went to jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for her advocacy of ladies’s rights and democracy, and towards the demise penalty. The Nobel committee stated it additionally was a recognition of “the hundreds of thousands of people” who demonstrated towards “Iran’s theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women.”
In a yr of battle, there had been some hypothesis earlier than the announcement that the Norwegian Nobel Committee that decides on the winner would choose to not award a prize in any respect this yr. The prize has been withheld a complete of 19 occasions since 1901, together with throughout each world wars. The final time it was not awarded was in 1972.
In the Middle East, persistently spiraling ranges of violence over the previous yr have killed tens of hundreds of individuals, together with hundreds of youngsters and girls. The battle, sparked by a bloody raid into Israel by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, 2023 that left about 1,200 folks useless, largely civilians, has spilled out into the broader area.
In the previous week, Israel despatched floor troops into Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah militants firing rockets into Israel, whereas Iran – which backs each Hamas and Hezbollah – fired a barrage of ballistic missiles into Israel. Israel has but to reply, however its protection minister vowed this week that its retaliation could be each devastating and shocking.
The battle in Gaza has killed greater than 42,000 folks, based on Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its depend however says greater than half are ladies and kids. In Lebanon, greater than 1,400 folks have been killed, with hundreds extra injured and round 1 million displaced since mid-September, when the Israeli army dramatically expanded its offensive towards Hezbollah.
The battle in Ukraine, sparked by Russia’s invasion, is heading towards its third winter with an enormous lack of human life on either side.
The U.N. has confirmed greater than 11,000 Ukrainian civilian useless, however that doesn’t keep in mind as many as 25,000 Ukrainians believed to have died throughout the Russian seize of town of Mariupol or unreported deaths within the occupied territories.
The Nobel prizes carry a money award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million). Unlike the opposite Nobel prizes which can be chosen and introduced in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed the peace prize be determined and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The Nobel season ends Monday with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize, formally often known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
___
Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands, and Becatoros from Athens, Greece. Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Lori Hinnant in Paris and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, contributed.