75 years since the American crime in Hiroshima-Nagasaki
AKEL C.C. Press Office, 6th August 2020, Nicosia
Seventy-five years after atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the memory of the victims continues to demand the definitive and complete elimination of nuclear weapons from the face of the planet.
August 1945 showed the whole world the magnitude and nature of the crimes that American imperialism is willing to commit in order to consolidate its domination. The leveling of the two Japanese cities did not serve any need of the war given that Japan and the rest of the fascist Axis had already been defeated. The US goal was to demonstrate a show of strength for the future of the post-war world by conveying messages to intimidate the national liberation movements and the Soviet Union. No one has ever been tried and no US government has apologized to date for that heinous crime that cost the lives of tens of thousands of people and destroyed the health of millions of others.
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are a constant reminder that nuclear weapons can lead to the destruction of human civilization and life on the planet. Today, however, not only have nuclear weapons not been eliminated as envisaged in the UN Convention, but the Trump administration’s new “nuclear doctrine” combined with the ongoing US withdrawal from international arms control agreements, has brought back the nightmare of the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe. After all, the United States has never adopted a “no first use” policy, which commits a nuclear state to not using nuclear weapons first. The recent revelations about Trump’s plans to resume nuclear testing are extremely worrying, which could lead to huge risks and an explosion in the militarization and arms race throughout the world.
For peace, the environment and for the future of humanity on the planet, all the world’s nuclear states – recognized and unrecognized – are called upon to accede to the UN Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which will lead to the complete elimination of nuclear arsenals from Earth. This is the debt humanity owes to the victims of the atomic bombs, but also to the future generations of our planet.
