Could a Tribunal Hold the US to Account for the Nuclear Bombings of Japan?

January 11th, 2024 - by Merchants of Death and World BEYOND War & SPARK

Could a Tribunal Hold the US to Account
For the Nuclear Bombings of Japan?

Merchants of Death and World BEYOND War

On Monday, November 27, 2023, during discussions for The Second Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) at the United Nations in New York, peace organizations from South Korea — Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK) and People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) — met to discuss plans for a future event to be called The People’s Tribunal To Hold The U.S. Accountable For The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

First- and second-generation survivors of the atomic bomb blasts were present and spoke at the meeting. Brad Wolf from the Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal was invited to speak to the group about organizing a Tribunal.

The tribunal seeks to focus on the tens of thousands of Koreans who died in the atomic bombings of Japan, and to gain recognition and reparations for the victims. It also seeks the general prohibition of nuclear weapons. The tribunal is tentatively scheduled for May of 2026.

An International People’s Tribunal
on the 1945 US Atomic Bombings
Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea

SOTH KOREA (January 10, 2024) — We are SPARK, a peace organization based in South Korea. Collaborating with Korean atomic bomb victims, we are currently undertaking a project to organize the International People’s Tribunal on 1945 US Atomic Bombings (scheduled in 2026). We are reaching out to request your organization’s participation as a partner.

The International People’s Tribunal is a significant endeavor to hold the United States accountable for the dropping of atomic bombs. To ensure the success of the A-Bomb Tribunal, collaboration from various organizations is essential.

Any non-governmental organization is eligible to become a partner organization for the International People’s Tribunal. No joining fee or annual subscription is required, although financial and other relevant contributions are welcome.

Partners
International Association Of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA), International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), Japan Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (JALANA), Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal, Veterans For Peace, World BEYOND War — To be added

About ‘The International People’s
Tribunal on 1945 US Atomic Bombings’

Purpose
The People’s Tribunal (New York, 2026) has the primary purpose of restoring the collapsed historical justice by holding the U.S. legally responsible for the atomic bombings of 1945, and restoring the human rights of Korean atomic bomb victims who were affected by Japanese colonial rule and the U.S. atomic bombings.

The People’s Tribunal aims to establish the illegality of the U.S. atomic bombings in 1945 to secure the basis for condemning all nuclear threats and use as illegal today. The fact that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were illegal under the international laws in 1945 means that the use and threat of nuclear weapons today are also illegal.

The People’s Tribunal aims to overcome the nuclear deterrence theory that justifies the use and threat of nuclear weapons by nuclear-weapon states, and contribute to the realization of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a nuclear-free world.

Timeline
Preliminary international forums are being held for the People’s Tribunal. The purpose of the forums is to establish legal grounds to define the U.S. atomic bombings as illegal acts. This will enable the People’s Tribunal to bring charges based on a solid legal basis and to issue a ruling that the U.S. nuclear bombings of 1945 were illegal.

Under the premise that the international legal basis for condemning the U.S. atomic bombings of 1945 as illegal will be secured through two forums, the International People’s Tribunal is aiming to be held in New York in 2026 with Korean atomic bomb victims of the first generation as plaintiffs.

  • The First International Forum: June 2023, Hapcheon, South Korea
  • The Second International Forum: June 2024, Hiroshima, Japan
  • The International People’s Tribunal: May 2026, New York, USA

Contact
abombtribunal@gmail.com, +82-2-711-7292 (SPARK

The International People’s Tribunal on 1945 US Atomic Bombings

To hold the U.S. accountable for
dropping Atomic Bombs on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
(Plaintiffs: Korean Atomic Bomb Victims)

Purpose
The People’s Tribunal has the primary purpose of restoring the collapsed historical justice by holding the U.S. legally responsible for the atomic bombings of 1945, and restoring the human rights of Korean atomic bomb victims who were affected by Japanese colonial rule and the U.S. atomic bombings.

The People’s Tribunal aims to establish the illegality of the U.S. atomic bombings in 1945 to secure the basis for condemning all nuclear threats and use as illegal today. The fact that the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were illegal under the international laws in 1945 means that the use and threat of nuclear weapons today are also illegal.

The People’s Tribunal aims to overcome the nuclear deterrence theory that justifies the use and threat of nuclear weapons by nuclear-weapon states, and contribute to the realization of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a nuclear-free world.

Partners
International Association Of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms(IALANA), International Fellowship of Reconciliation(IFOR), Japan Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms(JALANA), Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal, Veterans For Peace, World BEYOND War — More to be added

Become a Partner
Any non-governmental organization is eligible to become a partner organization for the International People’s Tribunal. No joining fee or annual subscription is required, although financial and other relevant contributions are welcome.