A newly established Institute of Peace and Law on 9 August 2025 published a briefing “Voice of Conscience” about two tragedies that happened on the same day in history, the FREE CIVILIANS report.
According to the video briefing, August 9 is a day of double tragedy.
On this day in 1943, the Nazis executed by guillotine Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to fight in the Hitler’s army. He is venerated as a martyr and has been beatified by the Catholic Church.
Today, millions of people are refusing to participate in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and other wars, bringing the end to these wars. There is a hope that in the better future everyone will refuse to kill and wars will never happen.
On this day in 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing 80,000 civilians and 150 soldiers.
As an indiscriminate attack, it was essentially a war crime.
Nuclear physicists, civil and religious leaders objected to the use of nuclear weapons. The Hibakusha – survivors – advocated a ban of atomic bombs.
International law prohibits the proliferation of nuclear weapons and aims for complete nuclear disarmament. Ukraine contributed to this noble cause by destroying the nuclear arsenal inherited from the Soviet empire.
The Voice of Conscience briefing was prepared by Yurii Sheliazhenko, director of the Institute of Peace and Law. He said: “We work to protect and promote human rights to peace and to conscientious objection to military service on the basis of scientific knowledge.”
The Institute of Peace and Law is a private nonprofit scientific organization based in Kyiv, Ukraine. According to a website, its mission is to research, study, advocate and practice peace as dynamics of life free of violence and law as norms shaping how we live.