Just saw this on CTV, intriguing article. Here it is:
Posted on Wed, Apr. 21, 2004
Man who disclosed Israel's nuclear program released from prison
BY JOEL GREENBERG
Chicago Tribune
JERUSALEM - (KRT) - Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli nuclear technician imprisoned for more than 17 years for revealing Israel's nuclear secrets, walked out of jail Wednesday after serving his term, defiantly declaring that he was proud of what he had done.
Flashing victory signs as he emerged into the courtyard of Shikma Prison in the city of Ashkelon, Vanunu, in a checkered shirt and black tie, was cheered by local and foreign supporters who hailed him as a "peace hero." Counter-demonstrators jeered and denounced him as a traitor.
Vanunu, 49, whose disclosures to a British newspaper and long imprisonment have won him the enthusiastic support of anti-nuclear campaigners abroad, called for international inspection of Israel's nuclear reactor near the desert town of Dimona, where he worked.
"To all those who are calling me a traitor, I am saying I am proud, I am proud and happy to do what I did," Vanunu told reporters. "My message today to all the world is, open Dimona reactor for inspection."
He spoke in broken English, refusing to answer questions in Hebrew to protest an Israeli restriction that bars him from contacts with foreigners. "I said, Israel don't need nuclear arms, especially now that all the Middle East is free from nuclear weapons," Vanunu added. "Only Israel still has secrets."
Vanunu's release focused attention on Israel's nuclear program at a time of stepped-up efforts to limit the spread of non-conventional weapons. The U.S.-led war in Iraq had the declared aim of eliminating weapons of mass destruction, Libya recently responded to international pressure by agreeing to dismantle its nuclear program, and the Bush administration is pressing North Korea to do the same.
Israel has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, its atomic reactor is closed to international inspection and it follows a policy of "nuclear ambiguity," neither confirming nor denying its nuclear capacity. Unlike other policy matters that are the subject of intense public debate in Israel, its nuclear program, viewed as vital for the country's survival, is generally not discussed.
Vanunu is widely reviled in Israel but also the object of intense public fascination, and his release Wednesday, broadcast on television, provided Israelis the first live images of a man who was tried in extraordinary secrecy after being seized abroad and brought to Israel by the Mossad spy agency.
White-haired and balding after 17 1/2 years in prison, more than 11 of them in solitary confinement, Vanunu said he was unbroken after being subjected to "cruel and barbaric treatment" by the Israeli security services. A convert to Christianity, Vanunu said he was mistreated because of his religion.
"This day is for me a symbol that a free man can survive, a free spirit can exist," he said. "There is no human being that can destroy the freedom of speech, the will of freedom."
In 1986 Vanunu gave photographs and details of the Dimona reactor to the Sunday Times of London. His disclosures led experts to conclude that Israel had an arsenal of 100 to 200 nuclear warheads, one of the world's largest stockpiles.
Before Vanunu's accounts were published, a female Mossad agent lured him from London to Rome, where he was abducted and taken by sea to Israel. He was convicted of treason in a closed-door trial.
Vanunu said that he wanted to go to the United States, to marry and study history. While in prison, he was legally adopted by an American couple, Nick and Mary Eoloff, of St. Paul, Minn., in the mistaken belief that the move would give him American citizenship.
However, the Israeli authorities still consider Vanunu a security threat and have imposed a set of restrictions that bar him from traveling abroad, contacting foreigners, approaching border crossings and ports or entering foreign embassies or consulates. He is required to notify the police of any travel outside his area of residence, and he is barred from discussing his work at the Dimona reactor.
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Rachel Niedak-Ashkenazi said that the security services had confiscated notebooks kept by Vanunu in his jail cell that contained detailed information about Israel's reactor, suggesting that he intended to make use of the material after his release.
The emotions stirred by Vanunu's release were on display outside the jail as supporters and opponents held loud demonstrations.
"Death to the Spy," said a sign held up by one protester. Supporters sang peace songs. A contingent of foreign anti-nuclear campaigners included British actress Susannah York and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland.
Vanunu's brother, Meir, voiced concern for his safety, but Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said that no special security measures were planned.
"He's no hero, but a traitor," Lapid said in a television interview. "I recommend to all citizens of the state to treat him with the contempt a traitor deserves."
---
© 2004, Chicago Tribune.
Posted on Wed, Apr. 21, 2004
Man who disclosed Israel's nuclear program released from prison
BY JOEL GREENBERG
Chicago Tribune
JERUSALEM - (KRT) - Mordechai Vanunu, the Israeli nuclear technician imprisoned for more than 17 years for revealing Israel's nuclear secrets, walked out of jail Wednesday after serving his term, defiantly declaring that he was proud of what he had done.
Flashing victory signs as he emerged into the courtyard of Shikma Prison in the city of Ashkelon, Vanunu, in a checkered shirt and black tie, was cheered by local and foreign supporters who hailed him as a "peace hero." Counter-demonstrators jeered and denounced him as a traitor.
Vanunu, 49, whose disclosures to a British newspaper and long imprisonment have won him the enthusiastic support of anti-nuclear campaigners abroad, called for international inspection of Israel's nuclear reactor near the desert town of Dimona, where he worked.
"To all those who are calling me a traitor, I am saying I am proud, I am proud and happy to do what I did," Vanunu told reporters. "My message today to all the world is, open Dimona reactor for inspection."
He spoke in broken English, refusing to answer questions in Hebrew to protest an Israeli restriction that bars him from contacts with foreigners. "I said, Israel don't need nuclear arms, especially now that all the Middle East is free from nuclear weapons," Vanunu added. "Only Israel still has secrets."
Vanunu's release focused attention on Israel's nuclear program at a time of stepped-up efforts to limit the spread of non-conventional weapons. The U.S.-led war in Iraq had the declared aim of eliminating weapons of mass destruction, Libya recently responded to international pressure by agreeing to dismantle its nuclear program, and the Bush administration is pressing North Korea to do the same.
Israel has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, its atomic reactor is closed to international inspection and it follows a policy of "nuclear ambiguity," neither confirming nor denying its nuclear capacity. Unlike other policy matters that are the subject of intense public debate in Israel, its nuclear program, viewed as vital for the country's survival, is generally not discussed.
Vanunu is widely reviled in Israel but also the object of intense public fascination, and his release Wednesday, broadcast on television, provided Israelis the first live images of a man who was tried in extraordinary secrecy after being seized abroad and brought to Israel by the Mossad spy agency.
White-haired and balding after 17 1/2 years in prison, more than 11 of them in solitary confinement, Vanunu said he was unbroken after being subjected to "cruel and barbaric treatment" by the Israeli security services. A convert to Christianity, Vanunu said he was mistreated because of his religion.
"This day is for me a symbol that a free man can survive, a free spirit can exist," he said. "There is no human being that can destroy the freedom of speech, the will of freedom."
In 1986 Vanunu gave photographs and details of the Dimona reactor to the Sunday Times of London. His disclosures led experts to conclude that Israel had an arsenal of 100 to 200 nuclear warheads, one of the world's largest stockpiles.
Before Vanunu's accounts were published, a female Mossad agent lured him from London to Rome, where he was abducted and taken by sea to Israel. He was convicted of treason in a closed-door trial.
Vanunu said that he wanted to go to the United States, to marry and study history. While in prison, he was legally adopted by an American couple, Nick and Mary Eoloff, of St. Paul, Minn., in the mistaken belief that the move would give him American citizenship.
However, the Israeli authorities still consider Vanunu a security threat and have imposed a set of restrictions that bar him from traveling abroad, contacting foreigners, approaching border crossings and ports or entering foreign embassies or consulates. He is required to notify the police of any travel outside his area of residence, and he is barred from discussing his work at the Dimona reactor.
Defense Ministry spokeswoman Rachel Niedak-Ashkenazi said that the security services had confiscated notebooks kept by Vanunu in his jail cell that contained detailed information about Israel's reactor, suggesting that he intended to make use of the material after his release.
The emotions stirred by Vanunu's release were on display outside the jail as supporters and opponents held loud demonstrations.
"Death to the Spy," said a sign held up by one protester. Supporters sang peace songs. A contingent of foreign anti-nuclear campaigners included British actress Susannah York and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland.
Vanunu's brother, Meir, voiced concern for his safety, but Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said that no special security measures were planned.
"He's no hero, but a traitor," Lapid said in a television interview. "I recommend to all citizens of the state to treat him with the contempt a traitor deserves."
---
© 2004, Chicago Tribune.