French nuclear test victims

In the year since France introduced legislation to compensate people suffering health-effects from the country's nuclear tests, Paris has only paid out one claimant. Yet veterans groups deny that time is against them.

France conducted 210 nuclear tests between 1960 and 1996 that exposed a total of 150,000 military personnel and civilians to high levels of radiation. Now the so-called "Veterans of Nuclear Testing" are up in arms over the poor treatment they have received.


In June 2010, Herve Morin, who was defense minister at the time, promised generous compensation for the people suffering health problems resulting from exposure to nuclear tests, which were conducted first in the former colony of Algeria and then in the overseas Department of French Polynesia.
Several thousand victims, mainly members of the military, joined the group AVEN, while local civilians formed the group "Moruroa e tatou" or "Moruroa and us" to lobby for their rights and show that the health consequences resulting from the tests were more serious than Paris let on.


The law also calls for each case to be recognized by a special state commission before compensation is paid.

First – and only – payment made

The first notification of payment was made in June 2011. The state commission approved several thousand euros compensation for a former conscript who was ordered to watch the detonation of France's first nuclear bomb in the Sahara Desert in 1960 from just a few kilometers away.

Public awareness:

  

While saying that the law has no teeth, Gille added that it had at least forced the public to confront the topic of those suffering from the effects of the nuclear tests.

"The public has agreed that the victims deserve compensation," he said. "But the compensation system doesn't work."

Jean-Paul Teissonniere, a lawyer who represents many of the victims, said he intends to appeal every case that the state commission rejects. 

Long-term observation:

AVEN wants to observe the health of people involved in the tests as well as those who lived and continue to live near the test sites.

"So far there are no investigations into the long-term effects of radiation, not even among the personnel of nuclear facilities," Sans said. 

Maybe the government thinks the compensation problem will solve itself over time as victims die, but now the children of veterans are active in our organization and they will continue to fight for the rights of their deceased parents.