LONDON NUCLEAR WARFARE TRIBUNAL
Evidence, Commentary, and Judgment

The St Petersberg Declaration² of 1868 is regarded as the first international legal instrument prohibiting weaponry. It was made following a conference convened by Czar Alexander II to deal with the recently invented explosive bullets. The preamble to the Declaration sets out the following two principles:

• the only legitimate object which states should endeavour to accomplish is to weaken the military forces of the enemy
• that for this purpose it is sufficient to disable the greatest possible number of men; That this object would be exceeded by the employment of arms which uselessly aggravate the sufferings of disabled men or render their deaths inevitable; That the employment of such arms, would therefore be contrary to humanity.