Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: An Illegal War of Aggression — Lawyers Committee
on Nuclear Policy
https://www.lcnp.org/whats-new/russias-invasion-of-ukraine-an-illegal-war-of-aggression-1
Statement by Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy, UN Office of the
International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms
The Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy strongly condemns Russia’s attack on
Ukraine. The Russian invasion is in clear violation of international law, and
is causing the people of Ukraine to experience terror, suffering, and death.
Given the increased risk of nuclear weapons use, whether intentionally or by
miscalculation, it also exposes the peoples of the region and the world as a
whole to harm on a vast scale.
I. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an illegal war of aggression.
The invasion is a violation of the United Nations Charter, Article 2(4), which
prohibits the “threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or
political independence of any state.” It cannot be justified as an act of
self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter. Nor do any of the rationales
offered by Putin withstand even minimal scrutiny. Thus there is no basis for
claiming that the invasion will prevent “genocide.”
The invasion constitutes an act of aggression under general international law.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines a state act of
aggression as “the use of armed force by a state against the sovereignty,
territorial integrity or political independence of another state, or in any
other manner inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations.” The leaders
of an aggressor state may be individually responsible for the crime of
aggression, one of the core crimes set out in the Rome Statute. Under the
Charter of the International Military Tribunal (Nuremberg Charter), waging a
war of aggression is a crime against peace, and leaders of the Third Reich were
convicted of that crime.
II. Putin’s thinly veiled references to resort to nuclear weapons should other
states intervene militarily are unlawful threats of force under the UN Charter,
Article 2(4), because they are an element of the unlawful invasion. They are
also contrary to general international law, because they threaten the
commission of an illegal act—here the use of nuclear weapons.
In its 1996 Advisory Opinion (para. 78), the International Court of Justice
stated that if use of a weapon would not meet the requirements of international
humanitarian law governing the conduct of warfare, the threat of such use would
be contrary to that law. It is now widely recognized that use of nuclear
weapons is illegal under humanitarian law, most centrally because they cannot
meet the requirement of discrimination between military targets and civilian
persons/infrastructure. More than 25 years ago, the Court found such use, or
threatened use, to be illegal. The main circumstance in which the Court could
not reach a conclusion, when the survival of a state is at stake, is not at
issue for Russia in the present crisis.
In a 5 January 2022 joint statement, Russia and the other four nuclear weapon
states acknowledged by the Non-Proliferation Treaty affirmed the
Reagan-Gorbachev principle “that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be
fought.” Putin’s recent references to possible Russian use of nuclear arms
cannot be reconciled with that affirmation.
III. Several US and NATO actions in relation to Russia since the mid-1990s, in
particular opening the door to Ukraine’s membership in NATO in 2008, were
unwise and even reckless in their disregard of the security concerns of Russia.
That in no way, legally or morally, serves to justify Russia’s war of
aggression against Ukraine.
IV. In the months preceding the invasion, the United Nations and states
involved in the crisis failed to achieve a purpose of the UN set out in Article
1(1) of the Charter, “to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with
the principles of justice and international law, … settlement of international
disputes … which might lead to a breach of the peace.” It is now the duty of
those states to bring about a cease-fire, and to resolve differences in
accordance with Article 2(3) of the Charter, which requires member states to
settle “international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that
international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.” It is also
the responsibility of the UN Security Council to restore international peace
and security. Should the Security Council not be able to act due to the veto
afforded Russia as a permanent member of the Council, the General Assembly
should act, as it has numerous times over the decades, under the Uniting for
Peace resolution (377A, 3 November 1950).
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy stands against Russia’s unlawful acts of
war and threats of nuclear force. We call for both sides to comply with
international humanitarian law, respect human rights, and provide access to
humanitarian aid. We further call for an immediate cease-fire, dialogue and
diplomacy, and fulfillment of the requirements of the UN Charter.
Sent from my iPhone
On 26 Feb 2022, at 11:52 am, ozemail.com.au <mindquest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The Risk of Nuclear Disaster in Ukraine by Bennett Ramberg - Project Syndicate
Ukraine has 15 aging, poorly designed civilian nuclear reactors and the
smoldering legacy of Chernobyl. Nuclear power supplies half of Ukraine’s
electricity, but these reactors are vulnerable not just to bombs and
artillery fire, but also cyberattacks.The results of a direct hit or power
outage could be apocalyptic for the region. Radiation is no respecter of
national borders, and Russia could be among the countries impacted.
The take-away: nuclear power and war are both things we should work against;
where both exist in one place, the dangers are simply unmanageable.
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ukraine-nuclear-reactor-risk-by-bennett-ramberg-2022-02
Michael
Sent from my iPhone
On 26 Feb 2022, at 11:46 am, ozemail.com.au <mindquest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Since wars begin in the minds of men," the preamble to the UNESCO
constitution states, "it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace
must be constructed." As also stated in the preamble, "the great and
terrible war ( World War II )which has now ended was a war made possible by
the denial of the democratic principles of the dignity, equality and mutual
respect of men and by the propagation, in their place, through ignorance and
prejudice, of the doctrine of the inequality of men and races."
Michael
On 26 Feb 2022, at 6:37 am, Takis Ioannides <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
I do agree with Maria Christina.
Most important JUSTICE and DEMOCRACY.
Not the western Democracy, but the Democracy od ancient Athens.
We all wish NO WAR AT ALL.
With peace via harmony
Dr Panagiotis D Ioannides
Co-founder of GGHA
Στις Παρ, 25 Φεβ 2022, 8:51 μ.μ. ο χρήστης María Cristina Azcona
<mcrisazcona@xxxxxxxxx> έγραψε:
Hi Gha members
I want to express my position regarding Ukrania
We cannot seriously defend any position in this case if ww call ourselves
peacemakers
Simply we are against any kind of violence . We cannot justify death
produced by attacks nor invasions from any country located in the North
South West or East indistinctly, with the quote "we are defending us from
them' because violence is not necessary
the media cannot justify the finalities
The citizens need peace
Let them find dialogue and agreement and please forget our personal
preferences for any government
Democracy must prevail over any kind of tirany
Democracy is not perfect but seriously nobody would accept any other
system because the opposite is simply dictatorship which is perilous
Maria Cristina Azcona
Gha Vicepresident founder
Democracy represents the existence of human rights
El vie., 25 de febrero de 2022 15:13, Diego Lucio Rapoport
<diego.rapoport@xxxxxxxxx> escribió:
Crequie
Baloney. Lie.
It is not only US responsable for what has unfolded, which has been
supporting the Bandera forces of Ukraine colaborators of the Nazis, which
murdered hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and Jews after WWII, three
European chancellors signed the agreement between the
Ukrainian-Banderists-Nazis who were against the legitimate government of
Ukraine and President Yanukovich, and with them still present at Kyiv
gave way and time for them to depose him and take power, and thus the
alliance between the neo-liberals and the Bandera-Nazis who came to bomb
the people of Donetsk and Lughansk which prior to 1954 were part of
Russia as member of the USSR.
It is not war/peace dualism appropiate when the warmongers use
peace-as-extortion-domination-non-military-means.
CONTEXTUALIZATION IS ALL TO AN ONTO-EPISTEMOLOGY, which goes beyond
dualism.
Dualism is for subjugation by the stronger to apply to the Other.
Simply put US- European exceptionalism obliges the rest of the world to
accept subjugation.
Duality is forcefully collapsed to hegemonics. In science this is the
movement which underlies positivism!
Simply recall that the same day that Paris was liberated by the Allies,
the Algerians were massacred by the French army in Oran.
(I loved French culture, almost -for a week- born in Paris where my
family resided, not much of it left, for which France is responsible)
Diego Rapoport
El vie, 25 feb 2022 a las 12:17, crequie (<guy.crequie@xxxxxxxxxx>)
escribió:
De : crequie [mailto:guy.crequie@xxxxxxxxxx] ;
Envoyé : vendredi 25 février 2022 14:46
À : ''Lana Yang' via Women's Global Harmony Association (WGHA)'
<womengha@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; 'Yao ChaoCheng'
<Yaochaocheng@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; (univ.ambassadorpeacecircle@xxxxxxxxx)
<univ.ambassadorpeacecircle@xxxxxxxxx>; 'wagingpeace@xxxxxxxx'
<wagingpeace@xxxxxxxx>; 'UNACpeace@xxxxxxxxx' <UNACpeace@xxxxxxxxx>;
'Waheed Ahmad Ch' <waheed2010@xxxxxxxxxxx>; 'Yao ChaoCheng'
<Yaochaocheng@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Objet : Is our network GHA still a network of peace? If not, a network
which justifies the war? ¿Nuestra red GHA es aún una red de paz? ¿Si no,
una red que justifica la guerra?
Notre réseau GHA est-il encore un réseau de paix ? Sinon, un réseau qui
justifie la guerre ?
Chers amis,
Mon constat : est le sentiment antirusse et anti POUTINE qui va déferler
en Europe et dans les pays occidentaux.
Ce qui me désole est le silence et la passivité des membres de notre
réseau.
Nous avons élaboré de beaux documents de paix, mais ceux-ci sont
confrontés à l’attitude de paix lors d’un grave conflit alors que la
Russie comme certains pays membres de l’OTAN disposent de l’arme
nucléaire. Le Président POUTINE, a même évoqué l’arme nucléaire pour les
Etats qui chercheraient à entraver son action .Tout ceci = est loin
du GANDHICA !
Notre fondateur animateur du réseau justifie la guerre ce qui est
contraire à nos documents L’invasion de l’Ukraine est hélas justifiée
par lui , même si je renouvèle mes plus que réserves s’agissant de ce
qui est du gouvernement ukrainien, mais je refuse la soi-disant
légitimité de l’invasion .
La responsabilité des Etats-Unis dans cette situation est réelle !
Néanmoins, les accords de Minsk ont été bafoués, il y a invasion de
l’Ukraine. Tout ceci est contraire au droit international et au GANDHICA.
Allons-nous, ne pas proposer : La désescalade, des négociations pour
activer la paix, le départ des troupes russe de l’Ukraine, une
conférence sur la sécurité européenne. Le refus par les Etats-Unis et
l’Union Européenne de l’adhésion de l’Ukraine à l’OTAN, le refus du
retour de la militarisation de l’OTAN dans de nouveaux pays européens.
SI nous = membres du réseau avons perdu tout esprit critique, si nous
n’osons pas nous exprimer, alors, effectivement, je me demande quel est
mon rôle dans ce réseau ?
Si vous pensez, que je doive le quitter, SVP, par franchise ,
précisez-moi votre position. SVP, prenez vos responsabilités !
Pour ma part, ce qui compte est d’être en paix avec ma conscience. Je
préfère être minoritaire que complice ou lâche.
Le gouvernement ukrainien actuel sera chassé du pouvoir. Le Président
russe mettra sa place à sa place un gouvernement choisi par Vladimir
POUTINE. Mais les rancœurs demeureront. Rien ne sera réglé pour l’avenir
! Ce contexte, va renforcer la présence de l’OTAN dans les pays
avoisinants = soit l’inverse du but recherché.
Copyright Guy CRÉQUIE
Écrivain français observateur social
Is our network GHA still a network of peace? If not, a network which
justifies the war?
Dear friends,
My report: is the feeling antirusse and anti PUTIN which will break in
Europe and in the Western countries.
What afflicts to me is the silence and the passivity of the members of
our network.
We prepared beautiful documents of peace, but those are confronted with
the attitude of peace at the time of a serious conflict whereas Russia
as certain member countries of NATO have the nuclear weapon. President
PUTIN, even evoked the nuclear weapon for the States which would seek to
block its action.All this = is far from the GANDHICA!
Our stimulating founder of the network justifies the war what is
contrary with our documents the invasion of the Ukraine is alas
justified by him, even if I renew my more than reserves as regards what
is Ukrainian government, but I refuse the so-called legitimacy of the
invasion.
The responsibility for the United States in this situation is real!
Nevertheless, the agreements of Minsk were ridiculed, there is invasion
of the Ukraine. All this is contrary with the international law and the
GANDHICA.
We go, not to propose: The de-escalation, of the negotiations to
activate peace, the Russian departure of the troops of the Ukraine, a
conference on the European security. The refusal by the United States
and the European Union of the adhesion of the Ukraine with NATO, the
refusal of the return of the militarization of NATO in new European
countries.
IF we = members of the network lost any critical spirit, if we do not
dare to express us, then, indeed, I wonder which is my role in this
network?
If you think, that I must leave it, PLEASE, by frankness, define to me
your position. PLEASE, face up to your responsibilities!
For my part, which account is to be in peace with my conscience. I
prefer minority being that accessory or coward.
The current Ukrainian government will be driven out power. The Russian
President will put his place at his place a government chosen by
Vladimir PUTIN. But rancours will remain. Nothing will be regulated for
the future! This context, will reinforce the presence of NATO in the
neighbouring countries = is the reverse of the sought-after goal.
Copyright Guy CRÉQUIE
Social observant French writer
¿Nuestra red GHA es aún una red de paz? ¿Si no, una red que justifica la
guerra?
Queridos amigos,
Mi acta: es el sentimiento antirusse y anti PUTIN que va a romper en
Europa y en los países occidentales.
Lo que me aflige es el silencio y la pasividad de los miembros de
nuestra red.
Elaboramos bonitos documentos de paz, pero se enfrentan éstos a la
actitud de paz en un grave conflicto mientras que Rusia como algunos
países miembros de la OTAN disponen del arma nuclear. El Presidente
POUTINE, mencionó incluso el arma nuclear para los Estados que
pretenderían obstaculizar su acción.¡Todo esto = dista mucho del
GANDHICA!
Nuestro fundador animador de la red justifica la guerra lo que es
contrario a nuestros documentos la invasión de Ucrania desgraciadamente
es justificada por él, aunque renuevo más mis que reservas respecto lo
que es del Gobierno ucraniano, pero rechazo la supuesta legitimidad de
la invasión.
¡La responsabilidad de los Estados Unidos en esta situación es real!
Sin embargo, los acuerdos de Minsk se ridiculizaron, hay invasión de
Ucrania. Todo esto es contrario al derecho internacional y al GANDHICA.
Van, a no proponer: La desescalada, de las negociaciones para activar la
paz, la salida de las tropas rusa de Ucrania, una conferencia sobre la
seguridad europea. La denegación por los Estados Unidos y la Unión
Europea de la adhesión de Ucrania a la OTAN, la denegación de la vuelta
de la militarización de la OTAN en nuevos países europeos.
¿SI = miembros de la red perdimos todo espíritu crítico, si no nos
atrevemos a no expresarnos, entonces, efectivamente, me pregunto cuál
soy mi papel en esta red?
Si piensa, que deba dejarlo, POR FAVOR, por franquicia, precisan su
posición. ¡POR FAVOR, asumen sus responsabilidades!
Por mi parte, lo que cuenta es ser en paz con mi conciencia. Prefiero
ser minoritario que cómplice o flojo.
Se expulsará al Gobierno ucraniano actual del poder. El Presidente ruso
pondrá su lugar a su lugar un Gobierno elegido por Vladimir POUTINE.
Pero los rencores permanecerán. ¡No se regulará nada para el futuro!
Este contexto, va a reforzar la presencia de la OTAN en los países
vecinos = sea el revés del objetivo que se persigue.
Copyright Guy CRÉQUIE
Escritor francés observador social
