Anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan

Anti-nuclear movement
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The Anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan, "Nevada Semipalatinsk", was formed in 1989 and was one of the first major anti-nuclear movements in the former Soviet Union. It was led by author Olzhas Suleimenov and attracted thousands of people to its protests and campaigns which eventually led to the closure of the nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk in north-east Kazakhstan in 1991.^[1][2][3]

The Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear weapons tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, between 1949 and 1989.^[4][3] The United Nations believes that one million people around Semipalatinsk were exposed to radiation, and the incidence of birth defects and cancer is much higher than for the rest of the country.^[1][2][3]

According to UNESCO, Nevada-Semipalatinsk played a positive role in promoting public understanding of "the necessity to fight against nuclear threats".^[5] The movement gained global support and, became "a real historical factor in finding solutions to global ecological problems".^[5]

See also

Social movements portal

• Semipalatinsk Test Site
• Downwinders
• Kazatomprom
• Energy policy of Kazakhstan
• List of anti-nuclear power groups
• List of books about nuclear issues
• List of Chernobyl-related articles
• List of nuclear whistleblowers
• List of Nuclear-Free Future Award recipients

References

1. ^ ^{a b} World: Asia-Pacific: Kazakh anti-nuclear movement celebrates tenth anniversary BBC News, February 28, 1999.
2. ^ ^{a b} Matthew Chance. Inside the nuclear underworld: Deformity and fear CNN.com, August 31, 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b c} Krech, Shepard (2004). Encyclopedia of World Environmental History: A-E. Routledge. pp. 70–71. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=nUMKF4IKQkAC&dq=clamshell+alliance+encyclopedia&q=anti-nuclear#v=snippet&q=nuclear&f=false. 
4. ^ "Semipalatinsk: 60 years later (collection of articles)". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. September 2009. http://thebulletin.org/web-edition/special-topics/semipalatinsk-60-years-later. Retrieved 2009-10-01. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Kazakhstan - Audiovisual documents of the International antinuclear movement “Nevada-Semipalatinsk”

External links

• Nuclear politics and the future security of Kazakhstan