Since 1945, over 2,000 nuclear weapons have been detonated worldwide - as nuclear weapons tests. These tests were carried out in regions far away from the centres of power, on the territories of indigenous people, First Nations and (formerly) colonised communities. In Qazaqstan* and Mā’ohi Nui*, among others, entire communities have to live with the long-term health, social and environmental consequences - often without compensation, recognition or medical assistance.

This event series highlights nuclear testing as a serious and ongoing human rights violation. The nuclear survivors Aigerim Seitenova and Aigerim Yelgeldy from Qazaqstan as well as Hinamoeura Morgant-Cross and Tamatoa Tepuhiarii from Mā’ohi Nui will travel to Germany to give personal testimonies about the impact on their health, their country and their communities. They talk about their survival, their pain - and their resistance. Their stories show why nuclear weapons should not just be seen as strategic, abstract instruments of politics - but as the cause of global suffering and human rights violations.

Together, we want to create a space for dialogue, education and empathy.

Let us listen, learn and act in solidarity - towards a world with nuclear justice!

Aigerim Seitenova is the Co-Founder of the Qazaq Nuclear Frontline Coalition and 3rd generation nuclear test survivor from Semei. In March 2025, she she published her own short documentary “JARA - Radioactive Patriarchy: Women of Qazaqstan” about women affected by the sowjet nuclear weapons tests. In it, she deals with her own family history and illness, revealing the enormous personal burden caused by her country's nuclear history.

Aigerim Yelgeldy is a 3rd generation nuclear test survivor from Semei, where the Soviet Union detonated 467 nuclear bombs between 1949 and 1989. Although Aigerim is battling cancer, she is standing up for nuclear justice. She participated in the 2nd Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW to speak about the consequences of the nuclear tests and the radiation on her life and her community. Her story is also covered in the documentary "JARA" produced by Aigerim Seitenova.

Hinamoeura Morgant-Cross became a strong activist for nuclear justice when she realised that her leukaemia was a consequence of the French nuclear weapons tests in Mā’ohi Nui. Today, she engages on the national and international level to achieve recognition, medical care and financial compensation for the survivors of nuclear tests. Since 2023, she is also a member of the Assembly of Mā’ohi Nui, where she i.a. passed a resolution in support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Moreover, she was awarded with the Nuclear Free Future Award in 2023.

Tamatoa Tepuhiarii is a young, Māòhi activist and researcher on the effects of the French nuclear weapons tests in Mā’ohi Nui. He already attended several conferences all over the world to talk about the nuclear legacy of his country and community. At the moment, he is a PhD student at the University of Hamburg, working on the project “Nuclear Justice and Gender in the South Pacific”. Tamatoa will join our events in Hamburg and Berlin.

Yerdaulet Rakhmatulla is a student and activist from Qazaqstan, working on global security, nuclear disarmament, AI governance and nuclear justice. He is Co-Founder of the Qazaq Nuclear Frontline Coalition and translated the Nuclear Truth Protocols into Qazaq to help make them more accessible. Yerdaulet will support our project with his expertise and by joining us on the trip as a Russian/Qazaq - English interpreter.

^{*Qazaqstan and Mā’ohi Nui are the decolonial names of Kazakhstan and French-Polynesia.
Kazakh derives from the Russian word казах whereas Qazaq is based on the native word қазақ. So, the name Qazaqstan refers to the native self-expression instead of the imperial Russian description.
The name French Polynesia clearly shows the colonial dependence on France. In contrast, Mā’ohi Nui refers to the indigenous self-designation of the Mā’ohi peole.}