NATO summoned to change its nuclear policy

24 November - Bombspotting and Greenpeace activists notify today at NATO a citizens summons to NATO secretary general De Hoop-Scheffer. They ask to change NATO nuclear policy at the Riga Summit by withdrawing and dismantling of the nuclear weapons still deployed in European NATO members.

This citizens summons concludes a month of complaint actions done all over Europe resulting from a joint Bombspotting and Greenpeace initiative. Citizens filed a complaint to stop the preparation of war crimes by deploying nuclear weapons and preparing for its use.

The citizens summons and the complaints filed all over Europe demand the enforcement of international humanitarian law. The International Court of Justice indicated in its Advisory Opinion from 1996 the rules of international law applying to nuclear weapons. The use or threat of nuclear weapons is contrary to these rules of international law, because nuclear weapons cause unnecessary suffering and are indiscriminate.

The complaint points out the complicity of governments in NATO nuclear decision-making and consequent responsibility and requests that the police take the relevant national judicial route to hold governments accountable to the rules of international law. The citizens summons demands NATO to change its nuclear policy at the Riga summit by putting an end to the role of nuclear weapons in its strategy and withdrawing and dismantling all remaining nuclear weapons.

The complaint actions took place all over Europe. Especially in Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK a lot of local groups filed complaints at their local police office. In Belgium hundreds of citizens sent collectively a bailiff with a citizens summons to Prime minister Verhofstadt.

Last month NATO condemned North Korea's nuclear test as “an extremely serious threat to peace and security in the world.” At the same time NATO continues to maintain these weapons in Europe.” Every day that US nuclear weapons remain in Europe and, that NATO maintains plans for their use, international law is being broken. While we support the criticism of North Korea in developing nuclear weapons the position of NATO is severely undermined by their own flagrant disregard for the law. NATO should put its own nuclear house in order and eliminate its own extremely serious threat to peace and security,” said Bombspotting campaigner Fabien Rondal.

Wendel Trio from Greenpeace added “on 28th and 29th November NATO’s state leaders will meet in Riga, Latvia, to begin a process to review the mandate of the Alliance. This is an opportunity for European leaders to meet their own obligation to disarm the world of nuclear weapons and to do what the majority of people in Europe want by removing US nuclear weapons from European soil”.

Citizens summons text