Mordechai Vanunu jailed again

[nekokate]

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It was this guy who vulcanised my understanding of so much. He needs to be taken to one side by the good guys and protected from shit like this.

[luke]

Mordechai Vanunu Jailed Again

The British government, mainstream parties and the mainstream media never mention Israel's nuclear weapons, even when pontificating about the effect of potential Iranian nuclear weapons on the balance of power in the Middle East.

Consistent with that, no amount of googling brings up any British mainstream media mention of the fact that whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has just been jailed again in Israel. This is for breaching the terms of a military edict - not a court order - restricting his movements and contacts.

One slight ray of light is that Amnesty International, an organisation I generally hold in high regard, is finally adopting Mordechai as a prisoner of conscience:

"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," deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa Philip Luther said in a statement.

"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," Luther said.

"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 (and) are therefore in breach of international law."

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=18759

Mordechai had suffered the obscenity of eleven years in solitary confinement, and over twenty years in all in prison. Nothing I can say is of consequence compared to that, but I have a particular feeling for Mordechai as a fellow whistleblower - in his case on Israeli nuclear weapons, and in my case on CIA and MI6 torture and extraordinary rendition. I know something of what it is to be called a traitor and have the establishment crush down on you, though obviously Mordechai has suffered much more. I also share with Mordechai the honour of being a former Rector of a Scottish university.

Next time you see our political "leaders" banging on about Iranian nuclear weapons, remember Mordechai and consider why Israeli nuclear weapons are never mentioned.

from http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2010/05/mordechai_vanun_1.html

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Vanunu receives three-month jail term
Thu, 13 May 2010 00:38:32 GMT

Israel's top court has sentenced nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu to three months in jail. Vanunu was imprisoned in 1986 after revealing Israel's military activities at the Dimona nuclear plant. Although Vanunu has already spent 18 years in prison, an Israeli judge has ruled that he must once again return to jail or do community service for violating the terms of his release by meeting with a foreigner.

Vanunu has refused to do community service in west al-Quds (Jerusalem) for fear of being "harassed by the Israeli population" in the west of the city. "The plaintiff refused and the court had no choice but to sentence him to three months in jail, which he will serve starting May 23," the court said in a ruling issued on Tuesday. Vanunu had asked the court if he could perform the community service in east al-Quds, where mainly Arabs live, but the court rejected his request.

Human Rights group Amnesty International has urged Israel not to send Vanunu back to jail. "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," Amnesty International Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Philip Luther said in a statement. 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," he added. "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 (and) are therefore in breach of international law," he noted.

Since his 2004 release, Vanunu has been detained several times. The whistleblower, hailed as a hero worldwide, spent 11 years in solitary confinement.

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I can just imagine the type of abuse that would be thrown at him by the typical Israeli extremists if he had done community service in such an area.

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Vanunu - A Time To Be Heard
Radio drama set in 2004, on the release of Israeli nuclear whistleblower, Mordechai Vanunu, who was immediately barred from speaking to the foreign media. Peter Hounam, investigative journalist, attempts to find a way to conduct an interview without breaking the terms of Vanunu's freedom.

download 64mb mp3

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Moredchai Vanunu - Global Warning