"Living witnesses of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki disasters" make miracles

On the afternoon of October 11 (Hanoi time), in the capital Stockholm, the Nobel Assembly of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize.

The winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize is Japan's Nihon Hidankyo organization. (Source: Nobel Prize)

According to the announcement posted on the official Nobel Prize website, the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize belongs to Japan's Nihon Hidankyo organization, a grassroots movement of survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, also known as Hibakusha.

Echoes from the past

The announcement said Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the prize for its efforts to achieve a world without nuclear weapons and through the accounts of living witnesses of the disaster to make clear that nuclear weapons must never be used again.

A global movement emerged after the atomic bomb attacks of 1945, whose members worked tirelessly to raise world awareness of the catastrophic consequences of the use of nuclear weapons.

Gradually, a strong international norm developed that considered the use of nuclear weapons to be morally unacceptable. This norm is called the "nuclear taboo".

The Hibakusha testimonies are the most historical and authentic testimonies of survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

These historical witnesses have helped create and strengthen widespread opposition to nuclear weapons around the world by drawing on personal stories, creating educational campaigns based on their own experiences, and issuing urgent warnings about the proliferation and use of nuclear weapons.

Hibakusha help the world describe the indescribable, think the unthinkable, and somehow grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee's announcement stressed that with this year's prize, the committee wants to highlight an encouraging fact: No nuclear weapons have been used in war for nearly 80 years.

The Nihon Hidankyo organization, also known as Hibakusha, is a grassroots movement of survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.

Accordingly, it was the extraordinary efforts of the Nihon Hidankyo organization and other representatives of the Hibakusha that contributed greatly to the establishment of the "nuclear taboo," and it is therefore alarming that today this "taboo" against the use of nuclear weapons is under pressure.

A warning for the modern world

According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, nuclear powers are modernizing and upgrading their arsenals, new states appear to be preparing to acquire nuclear weapons, and threats are being made to use nuclear weapons in conflicts.

At this moment in human history, we should remind ourselves of nuclear weapons: the most destructive weapons the world has ever seen!

2025 marks 80 years since two US atomic bombs killed about 120,000 residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (Source: Kukufm)

2025 will mark 80 years since two US atomic bombs killed an estimated 120,000 residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A similar number died from burns and radiation injuries in the months and years that followed.

Today, nuclear weapons are even more destructive. They can kill millions of people and have a catastrophic impact on the climate. A nuclear war could destroy human civilization.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee believes that the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki seem to have been long forgotten and that this year's Nobel Peace Prize will honour all survivors who, despite physical pain and painful memories, chose to use their traumatic experiences to foster hope and the fight for peace.

In 1956, local Hibakusha associations together with victims of nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific founded the Federation of Organizations of People Affected by Japanese A- and H-bombs and later shortened to Nihon Hidankyo, the largest and most influential Hibakusha organization in Japan.

Nihon Hidankyo has provided thousands of witness testimonies, issued resolutions and public appeals, and sent annual delegations to the United Nations and numerous peace conferences to remind the world of the urgent need for nuclear disarmament.

One day, the Hibakusha will no longer be among us as witnesses to history, but I believe that Japan, with its strong tradition of cultural preservation and commitment to continuity, will continue the journey of carrying the experiences and messages of the witnesses to inspire people around the world, helping to maintain the "nuclear taboo" - a prerequisite for a peaceful future for humanity.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nobel-peace-recipient-2024-the-same-song-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-crimes-that-make-it-a-miracle-289725.html