American, British, and French Physicians Condemn Their Governments’ Protest of the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony December 5, 2017

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Elana Simon, Communications Manager
(202) 681-9196
esimon@psr.org

WASHINGTON, DC (December 5, 2017) – The American, British, and French embassies in Norway announced they will refuse to send top-level diplomats to the Nobel peace prize ceremony in protest of the awardee, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). ICAN received the Nobel peace prize for raising awareness on the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons and achieving the first-ever U.N. treaty that categorically bans such weapons.

American, British, and French leaders of medical organizations condemned their governments’ protest of the Nobel peace prize:

“We the undersigned are ashamed that our governments are insulting this year’s Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at Oslo, Norway on 10th December by sending only junior diplomats. The award is for ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, and follows the overwhelming vote of 122 nations at the United Nations General Assembly in July this year to adopt the nuclear weapons ban treaty. Surely we can pause to listen and reflect on the words of Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki who will be addressing that ceremony, and to consider what ICAN, the United Nations and the Nobel Committee are all saying: for the health and safety of all the people of the world, it is time to prohibit and eliminate all nuclear weapons.”

Signed, national affiliates of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War:

Jeff Carter, Physicians for Social Responsibility, USA

Elizabeth Waterston, Medact, UK

Abraham Behar, Association des Médecins Français pour la Prévention de la Guerre Nucléaire (AMFPGM), France

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Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) mobilizes health professionals on issues that represent the gravest dangers to human health and survival. PSR’s grassroots network of advocates contribute a public health framework to nuclear weapons and climate change policy at the local, federal, and international level. PSR is a partner organization of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). PSR’s international federation, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, received the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize.

Learn more about PSR at www.psr.org and follow us on Twitter at @psrnuclear.