Nobel Peace Laureate Condemns Lithuania’s Second Withdrawal from A Humanitarian Disarmament Treaty
Press Release
Geneva, 8 May 2025 – The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), 1997 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate, condemns Lithuania’s decision to withdraw from the Mine Ban Treaty, approved today by a parliamentary vote. This irresponsible move marks Lithuania’s second abandonment of a humanitarian disarmament treaty in six months, following its unprecedented withdrawal from the Convention on Cluster Munitions in March 2025. The decision to leave both conventions, driven by flawed security logic, undermines decades of global progress in protecting civilians from these horrific and indiscriminate weapons.
“Lithuania’s actions are senseless and devastating,” said Tamar Gabelnick, ICBL Director. “By reintroducing weapons that disproportionately kill and maim civilians, Lithuania is trading the lives of innocent civilians for hollow promises of security. Landmines are relics of the past that are unlikely to deter aggressors but will certainly cost Lithuanian lives for decades to come. This decision, driven by panic rather than reason, places Lithuania on the wrong side of history.”
In March, defence ministers from the three Baltic countries and Poland jointly announced their intention to leave the Mine Ban Treaty. On 1 April, Finland announced its intent to withdraw from the Mine Ban Treaty. Latvia’s parliament approved withdrawal on 16 April, but the notification has not yet been deposited with the United Nations. These coordinated withdrawals threaten the strong global norm against antipersonnel mines established by the Mine Ban Treaty.
Antipersonnel mines are inherently indiscriminate and inhumane. These weapons cannot distinguish between combatants and civilians and remain lethal for decades, causing long-term human suffering and economic devastation. Civilians make up the vast majority of casualties from landmines. According to the Landmine Monitor, 85% of landmine casualties in 2023 were civilians, and around 40% are children. The Mine Ban Treaty comprehensively prohibits antipersonnel mines, including self-destructing antipersonnel mines that pose the same risk to civilians.
The treaty currently has 165 States Parties and has contributed to a vast reduction in use, stockpiling and production of mines in its 25+ year history, as documented by annual Landmine Monitor Reports.
Lithuania’s parliamentary vote was rushed and conducted without consultation with civil society, mirroring its earlier hurried and untransparent exit from the Convention on Cluster Munition. The decision also ignores urgent pleas from landmine survivors and other ICBL activists, who sent hundreds of messages to Lithuanian Members of Parliament calling on them to stay in the Mine Ban Treaty.
All European Union states, and all but one NATO members, are parties to the Mine Ban Treaty. Lithuania’s withdrawal aligns it with regimes like Russia, Iran, Myanmar and North Korea, the only governments confirmed to actively use antipersonnel landmines in 2023, per the Landmine Monitor.
“Lithuania claims it will continue to comply with international humanitarian law after withdrawing, but there is no humane or safe way to deploy a tool designed to cripple and terrorize civilians,” said Dr. Alex Munyambabazi, a landmine survivor and longtime ICBL advocate. “If Lithuania lays mines on its soil, it will be laying the groundwork for human suffering that will last for generations to come.”
“This decision clearly places Lithuania on the wrong side of history and civilians will pay the price,” Gabelnick emphasized. “We call on Lithuania and its allies to reverse course immediately. It is never too late to put human security first.”
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BACKGROUND
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a global civil society coalition of hundreds of organizations working for a world without landmines. In 1997, the ICBL was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with its founding coordinator Jody Williams. The campaign includes national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across many disciplines including demining, human rights, development, refugee issues, and medical and humanitarian relief.
USEFUL LINKS
www.icblcmc.org/about-icbl
www.the-monitor.org
Lithuania Country Profile
Latvia Country Profile
Estonia Country Profile
Landmine Monitor Report 2024
Mine Ban Treaty Impact: 25 Year Overview
CONTACT DETAILS
Tamar Gabelnick, Director
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
Email: tamar@icblcmc.org
Tel. +41 78 323 51 44
Charles Bechara, Media & Communications Manager
International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL)
Email: charles@icblcmc.org
Tel. +41 78 323 51 44