以 上
2022年3月8日
山形県弁護士会
会長 田 中 暁
Yamagata Bar Association
The Statement of the Chairperson
Condemning the Russian Federation's Aggression into Ukraine
1. The Russian Federation's Armed Forces launched the military invasion into Ukraine under the guise of "self-defense" on February 24, 2022. Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, has ordered the strategic nuclear forces to be on special alert and has repeatedly threatened with nuclear weapons behind him.
Because of the horrors of the last world war, we, human beings, have been working diligently to establish a framework for world peace. The Charter of the United Nations states, “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” (Article 2, paragraph 4). This makes it clear that war is illegal. What the Russian Federation has done is "aggression," which is illegal under international law, and a barbaric act that unilaterally denies the international order for world peace.
We absolutely cannot condone the act of aggression committed by the Russian Federation.
2. All wars begin in the name of "self-defense." War is the ultimate violation of human rights taking the lives of innocent citizens, and it leaves long-lasting scars and resentment in the society that cannot be compensated.
Our predecessors, eighty years ago, learned the folly of war at great cost, recognized that no state should use bare violence to settle disputes, and pledged that they should do their utmost to realize that “all peoples of the world have the right to live in peace, free from fear and want.” (Preamble to the Constitution of Japan).
After the start of the military invasion, a large number of citizens in various countries, even those living in Russia, are raising their voices resisting oppression in protest against the aggression. The international community is now being tested to see whether the solidarity of citizens seeking peace can stop the cycle of unreasonable violence by states and halt the fragmentation of the world.
3. We, attorneys at law in Japan, are committed to the protection of fundamental human rights and the realization of social justice.
The military invasion is a grave injustice that threatens the survival of all citizens of the world and destroys the international order. We cannot just dismiss this unfairness as someone else's problem.
4. Therefore, we, the members of the Yamagata Bar Association, strongly condemn the recent aggression into Ukraine by the Russian Federation and urge the Government of Russia to immediately withdraw its troops and cease the use of force.
We also call on the Government of Japan, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution of Japan, to take peaceful measures to assist in the recovery from the damages caused by the military invasion, and, in solidarity with the international public opinion against the war, to devote its full efforts to restoration of the international order.
We issue this statement with the sincere wish that the lives of citizens in Ukraine and Russia will go back to normal as soon as possible.
on March 8, 2022
Akira TANAKA
The Chairperson of the Yamagata Bar Association