Highlighting Testimonies of Kazakh Nuclear Survivors: UN Advocates for Accountability and Fairness in Nuclear Matters
Rewritten Article:
New York City - Voice of the Silenced: Survivors Advocate for Nuclear Justice at TPNW Meeting
Courage. Resilience. Determination. These were the sentiments that filled the United Nations Headquarters during the third Meeting of States Parties (3MSP) to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The event witnessed a unique gathering of individuals with shocking firsthand experiences and poignant stories from the tragic fallout of nuclear testing.
18-year-old Diana Murzagaliyeva, a survivor of the Semipalatinsk test site, took center stage with an emotionally charged testimony that echoed through the corridors of the UN. In a symbolic gesture, Diana taped her mouth shut, signifying the years spent holding her story close. "For years, everyone thought I would never speak," she declared, her voice resounding with passion.
Diana's story is rooted in a dark legacy that stretches across generations. Born with dysarthria, a paralysis caused by radiation exposure, the young activist spent her childhood battling a debilitating stutter that left her voiceless amidst the laughter and chatter of other children. This affliction, she revealed, was a tangible reminder of the atomic horrors permeating her hometown.
"My vocal cords didn't function properly. While other children laughed, sang, and played, I remained silent, unable to express myself," Diana said, recalling her lonely existence. Living in hospitals and rehabilitation centers, she was surrounded by children equally scarred by radiation illnesses and the harsh realities of their radiation-damaged lives.
But Diana refused to be a victim. She turned her pain into a cause, vowing to champion the environment and children with disabilities, becoming their advocate and voice. Using the power of words to express her thoughts, Diana penned a fairy tale exploring the dreams of children with challenges and published it to raise funds for sick children.
Diana's story, however, extends far beyond her own struggles. Her 42-year-old mother is deaf due to radiation exposure, her grandmother succumbed to cancer, and four of her nine great-grandchildren died before reaching the age of two. "For years, everyone thought I would never speak," she said, acknowledging the countless families that have suffered in silence for generations.
Rebecca Eleanor Johnson, an anti-nuclear activist since the 1980s and executive director of AIDD, was among those deeply moved by Diana's story. Although many years have passed since her visit to a small, remote hospital in Karaul, memories of that mother and her struggling child resurfaced in Johnson's mind.
"I attended a side event that was showing a film about the Semipalatinsk nuclear tests. And there was the most moving testimony given by Diana (…) The film was very powerful, but her testimony was even more powerful," Johnson recounted to The Astana Times. The coinciding connection to Karaul village, where generations were exposed to radiation from nuclear testing, Further underscored the human tragedy that has persisted for 80 years.
Another powerful voice that rang out was that of Karipbek Kuyukov, a Kazakh artist, activist, and Goodwill Ambassador, born without arms due to radiation exposure from nuclear testing. He shared his personal trials and the struggles of the Kazakh people affected by these man-made catastrophes. Now 56 years old, Kuyukov has dedicated more than half his life to raising awareness about nuclear testing’s devastating aftermath and expressing his pain through art.
Diana's brave testimony was a clarion call for change, imploring the world to listen to the stories of those silenced by the bombs of the past and stand united against the insidious threat of future nuclear weapons. "It is time to stop nuclear madness," Diana urged, calling upon the international community to band together in the fight against nuclear weapons and safeguard a future free of fear and suffering.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, Diana Murzagaliyeva, a survivor of nuclear testing, has been advocating for mental-health support and environmental-science research, drawing from her own experiences of radiation exposure and the impact it has had on her life and the lives of those around her.
- The united voices of activists like Diana Murzagaliyeva and Karipbek Kuyukov, born with disabilities due to nuclear testing, echo within the science community, highlighting the urgent need for research into the long-term health effects of nuclear weapons and advocating for a future where environmental-science can prevent such devastation.
