nl-x
12-11-04, 17:33
Van AlJazeera:
Nuke whistleblower Vanunu arrested in Jerusalem
11/11/2004 11:40:00 PM GMT
Vanunu is widely admired by anti-nuclear activists all over the world
The Israeli authorities have arrested nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu on Thursday for leaking the country’s nuclear secrets, seven months after he completed an 18-year prison term for treason.
Vanunu is accused of revealing "secret information to foreigners" and of having violated the restrictions the Israeli security services have imposed on him after his release from prison, police said.
Vanunu, 50, was bundled into an car at the Jerusalem church which has been his home since he left jail in April. Vanunu was barred from travelling to foreign countries or speaking to foreign media.
"He (Vanunu) is suspected of passing classified information to unauthorized parties," police spokesman Gil Kleiman said. "He is also suspected of violating the terms of his release."
Vanunu's lawyers and family couldn’t be reached for immediate comment.
Kleiman said Vanunu would be charged at a court hearing expected on Friday.
Vanunu is widely admired by anti-nuclear activists all over the world and has been repeatedly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1986 Mossad agents kidnapped Vanunu in Rome and put him in jail for revealing information about Israel's Dimona atomic reactor to a British newspaper. His revelations to the Sunday Times showed that Israel had amassed between 100 and 200 nuclear weapons.
In July, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Vanunu to be given the permission to leave Israel before the year-long ban expires.
Vanunu has denied having new information on Dimona’s reactor, yet he pledged to continue his campaign calling for nuclear disarmament.
Ever since Vanunu was released from jail, he has been criticizing Israel’s foreign policies in interviews to several news agencies.
Feeling that he was threatened by Israel, Vanunu appealed to Sweden last month to get political asylum, but he failed.
"I don't like Israel. I don't want to live in Israel. I want to be free and to leave Israel," he said in July.
Vanunu’s supporters fear for his safety in Israel, where most people view him a traitor.
In an interview broadcast by the BBC in June, Vanunu said he exposed secrets about Dimona’s reactor to save Israel from a "new holocaust."
He also questioned the Jewish state's right to exist.
Although Israel has never admitted it is producing nuclear weapons, it is widely believed to possess an arsenal of about 200 warheads.
Nuke whistleblower Vanunu arrested in Jerusalem
11/11/2004 11:40:00 PM GMT
Vanunu is widely admired by anti-nuclear activists all over the world
The Israeli authorities have arrested nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu on Thursday for leaking the country’s nuclear secrets, seven months after he completed an 18-year prison term for treason.
Vanunu is accused of revealing "secret information to foreigners" and of having violated the restrictions the Israeli security services have imposed on him after his release from prison, police said.
Vanunu, 50, was bundled into an car at the Jerusalem church which has been his home since he left jail in April. Vanunu was barred from travelling to foreign countries or speaking to foreign media.
"He (Vanunu) is suspected of passing classified information to unauthorized parties," police spokesman Gil Kleiman said. "He is also suspected of violating the terms of his release."
Vanunu's lawyers and family couldn’t be reached for immediate comment.
Kleiman said Vanunu would be charged at a court hearing expected on Friday.
Vanunu is widely admired by anti-nuclear activists all over the world and has been repeatedly nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1986 Mossad agents kidnapped Vanunu in Rome and put him in jail for revealing information about Israel's Dimona atomic reactor to a British newspaper. His revelations to the Sunday Times showed that Israel had amassed between 100 and 200 nuclear weapons.
In July, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Vanunu to be given the permission to leave Israel before the year-long ban expires.
Vanunu has denied having new information on Dimona’s reactor, yet he pledged to continue his campaign calling for nuclear disarmament.
Ever since Vanunu was released from jail, he has been criticizing Israel’s foreign policies in interviews to several news agencies.
Feeling that he was threatened by Israel, Vanunu appealed to Sweden last month to get political asylum, but he failed.
"I don't like Israel. I don't want to live in Israel. I want to be free and to leave Israel," he said in July.
Vanunu’s supporters fear for his safety in Israel, where most people view him a traitor.
In an interview broadcast by the BBC in June, Vanunu said he exposed secrets about Dimona’s reactor to save Israel from a "new holocaust."
He also questioned the Jewish state's right to exist.
Although Israel has never admitted it is producing nuclear weapons, it is widely believed to possess an arsenal of about 200 warheads.