A Violation of Human Rights

The mass killing of innocent people
(or even the threat of this)
is certainly a violation of human rights

International Agreements on basic Human Rights are already in place to protect people from intentional harm, death, and grave dangers to their life and health. Similar to laws against genocide and mass murder, any use of a nuclear weapon would violate existing international human rights laws.

So how can nations even consider their use as a military strategy or defense policy??

Just their very existence and readiness-for-use is itself a violation of human rights – the human right to not be threatened by physical harm or intentional murder.

A Violation of Humanitarian Law

In 1996 the International Court of Justice examined the humanitarian impact from using nuclear weapons, and it was determined that any use of a nuclear weapon would violate the rules of International Law applicable in armed conflicts.

International Humanitarian Law prohibits weapons or methods of warfare which:

1) fail to discriminate between civilians and military targets;

2) inhumanely cause needless suffering, including suffering caused after the time span of the conflict;

3) are disproportionate, with destructive effects much greater than the military acts which provoked the response;

4) cause long-term and severe damage to the living environment;

5) have a negative impact on surrounding neutral territory.