Stop BY Nukes Campaign
Restore Belarus’s nuclear-free status–remove Russian nukes, join the TPNW, and anchor peace in binding international law.
Introduction.
Belarus was once a symbol of nuclear disarmament and peace: after the dissolution of the USSR, it became the first state to voluntarily renounce and remove all nuclear weapons from its territory, joining the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 and declaring itself a nuclear-free zone.
On 27 February 2022, this status was reversed through illegal constitutional changes—an act we consider a profound strategic and moral mistake.
As part of the Belarusian people and civil society, Our House acknowledges our historical responsibility toward our neighbors for preventing the creation of a new nuclear trigger in an already war-torn region. For this reason, we are launching the campaign “Stop BY Nukes” to restore Belarus’s nuclear-free status and to anchor this commitment in international law by calling for Belarus’s accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).
Belarus should reinforce its nuclear-free identity not only by political declarations but through binding international law—sending to all European nations a message of reason, restraint, and de-escalation from within Belarusian civil society.
Core Demands of the Stop BY Nukes Campaign:
1. Withdraw Russian nuclear weapons from the territory of Belarus
- Immediately return all nuclear warheads and delivery systems from Belarus to Russia.
- Immediately revoke the so-called “nuclear sharing” agreement between Minsk and Moscow.
2. Restore Belarus’s status as a nuclear-free state
- Reintroduce into the Constitution the article declaring Belarus a neutral and nuclear-free country.
- Reaffirm Belarus’s commitments under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
3. Join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and implement it domestically
• Accede to and ratify the TPNW to legally anchor Belarus’s nuclear-free status, complementing NPT obligations.
• Adopt comprehensive national measures prohibiting development, possession, stationing, transfer, assistance, or threat of use of nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory; report on implementation to the UN as required.
4. End all military exercises involving nuclear components and nuclear threats
- Immediately halt all training or simulation of nuclear weapons use.
- Recognize the “Zapad-2025” exercises as a strategic mistake that endangers the security of the entire region.
- Officially declare that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”
- Eliminate any rhetoric threatening neighboring states with the “immediate” or “unhesitating” use of tactical nuclear weapons.
5. Support international initiatives aimed at preventing nuclear war
- Join China’s initiative for a joint pledge by the five nuclear-weapon states never to be the first to use nuclear weapons (no-first-use).
- Revive Belarus’s earlier proposal to establish a European Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone.
- Reject reliance on nuclear deterrence in favor of cooperative security mechanisms and diplomacy.
- Fully comply with the UN Charter and recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice as a means of peaceful dispute resolution.
6. End repression against those opposing militarization and nuclear weapons
- Stop dismissals, detentions, and criminal prosecutions targeting anti-nuclear and anti-war activists, peace advocates, and peacebuilders.
- Guarantee freedom of expression and peaceful assembly on issues related to peace and nuclear policy.
7. Ensure full transparency in Belarus’s nuclear policy
Allow independent monitoring and international inspections of Russian tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus.
Provide open and regular information to the public and the international community on all matters related to the deployment of nuclear weapons.
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