The Republic of the Marshall Islands has filed historic lawsuits against the Nuclear Armed States in the International Court of Justice.
The lawsuits filed on April 24, 2014 against the nine Nuclear Armed States is intended to hold these states accountable for “flagrant violations” of international law with respect to their nuclear disarmament obligations under the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and customary international law.
The lawsuit asserts that the five original nuclear weapons states, the U.S., Russia, UK, France and China although are parties to this Treaty, they continue to ignore their obligations.
In a statement released to the media, RMI’s Minister Tony deBrum expressed, “Our people have suffered the catastrophic and irreparable damage of these weapons, and we vow to fight so that no one else on earth will ever again experience these atrocities. The continued existence of nuclear weapons and the terrible risk they pose to the world threaten us all.”
According to reports, the lawsuits detail the states’ offenses in continuing to modernize their arsenals while failing to negotiate nuclear disarmament.
In filing these lawsuits, the Marshall Islands aren’t seeking monetary compensation instead the island nation seeks declaratory and injunctive relief requiring these states to comply with their obligations.
For 12 years, the U.S. used the Marshall Islands as a testing ground for nuclear bombs. Since then, the island nation has been proactive in arguing against nuclear weapons.