May, 12 2010, 12:43pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7413 5566,After hours: +44 7778 472 126,Email:,press@amnesty.org
Israeli Government Urged Not to Jail Nuclear Whistleblower Again
Amnesty International today urged the Israeli government not to
imprison nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, who is facing a return
to jail within days.
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled on 11 May that Vanunu, who served 18
years in prison for revealing information about Israel's nuclear
programme, must serve a further three months for meeting a foreign
national, a violation of the restrictions imposed on him by the military
since his release.
LONDON
Amnesty International today urged the Israeli government not to
imprison nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, who is facing a return
to jail within days.
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled on 11 May that Vanunu, who served 18
years in prison for revealing information about Israel's nuclear
programme, must serve a further three months for meeting a foreign
national, a violation of the restrictions imposed on him by the military
since his release.
"If Mordechai Vanunu is imprisoned again, Amnesty International will
declare him to be a prisoner of conscience and call for his immediate
and unconditional release," said Philip Luther, Amnesty International's
Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Vanunu, 56, who is banned from leaving the country, told Amnesty
International on 12 May: "Whether I go to prison or not, it doesn't
matter to me. I feel like I'm in prison already, trapped in Israel."
A former technician at Israel's nuclear plant near the southern town
of Dimona, Vanunu revealed details of the country's nuclear arsenal to
UK newspaper The Sunday Times in 1986.
He was abducted by Mossad agents in Italy on 30 September 1986 and
secretly taken to Israel where he was tried and sentenced to a prison
term of 18 years, the first 11 years of which he spent in solitary
confinement.
When he was released in April 2004, the Israeli authorities
considered placing him under administrative detention, but the option
was rejected as illegal by Israel's Attorney General.
Instead, he has been subject to police supervision since his release
under the terms of a draconian military order which is renewed every six
months, most recently in April 2010. According to the order, Vanunu is
banned from communicating with foreigners, including journalists; he
cannot leave the country; he is forbidden from visiting foreign
embassies; and must inform the authorities if he wishes to change
addresses.
"The ongoing restrictions placed on Mordechai Vanunu have meant that
he has been unable to move to the USA to live with his adopted family,
placing a huge strain on his mental and physical health," said Philip
Luther.
"They.are not parole restrictions since he served his full 18-year
term. They arbitrarily limit his rights to freedom of movement,
expression and association are therefore in breach of international
law."
Vanunu was convicted on 30 April 2007 of contact with a foreign
national without authorization and sentenced to six months, reduced on
appeal to three.
He was given the option of doing community service in West Jerusalem
instead of serving the three months in jail. He declined, citing fears
for his safety as many Israelis consider him a national traitor, and
instead offered to carry out the service in Palestinian East Jerusalem,
where he now lives. The court refused and ordered him to be returned to
jail by 23 May.
Speaking to Amnesty International, Vanunu expressed a sense of
hopelessness, saying despite international efforts when he was in prison
and subsequently to lift the restrictions imposed on him by the Israeli
authorities "no one has been able to help for 24 years".
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Our supporters are outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world - so we work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.
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