11 Oct 2016

Marshalls nuclear fight "not in vain"

11:51 am on 11 October 2016

Backers of the Marshall Islands in its international anti nuclear fight say the battle has not been in vain as other non-nuclear nations have been inspired to fight for nuclear disarmament.

Nuclear test explosion at Bikini Atoll for Operation Crossroads, Marshall Islands, 1945/6

Nuclear test at Bikini Atoll for Operation Crossroads, Marshall Islands Photo: Supplied

The Marshall Islands cases at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Britain, Pakistan and India came to a halt last week after the court decided it had no jurisdiction to hear the cases.

Rick Wayman of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation said a petition in support of the Marshall Islands received more than five million signatures and support from more than 100 non-government groups.

"The Marshall Islands has inspired other non-nuclear countries to step up and demand justice and take action. It might not look exactly the same as what the Marshall Islands did but it did show that it's possible to step up and it's possible to change things. We don't have to wait for the nuclear-armed countries to take action themselves."

Mr Wayman said it was good to see that there were a number of strong dissenting opinions among the 16 judges at the ICJ in favour of the Marshall Islands.

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