Israel to gag and confine Vanunu after release from prison

[enough]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3561598&thesection=news&thesubsection=world

Israel to gag and confine Vanunu after release from prison

20.04.2004
1.00pm - By MEGAN GOLDIN

JERUSALEM - Israel has banned nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu from leaving the country for a year after he completes an 18-year jail term on Wednesday, on the grounds that he has more state secrets to spill.

The former nuclear technician, convicted of treason for revealing Israel's nuclear secrets to a British newspaper, would also be barred from speaking to foreign nationals without prior permission for a six month period, officials said.

A Defence Ministry statement issued on Tuesday said the restrictions were due to "a tangible danger...that Vanunu wishes to divulge state secrets, secrets that he has not yet been divulged and which have not been previously published".

Vanunu, a 49-year-old Christian convert who has been disowned by his family, told security officers in an audio tape broadcast on television that he wants to live abroad and has nothing more to reveal about Israel's nuclear capabilities.

more>

[kalian]

1. I'm going to quote something used on these forums....

"How progressive..." :eyes:

[dfong63]

2. i salute you, Mordechai Vanunu

a man of tremendous courage and strength.

[enough]

3. A message to whoever removed this from LBN

I don't agree that this belongs in Israeli-Palestinian Affairs. This has nothing to do with the Palestinian issue. This is a civil rights issue, and a nuclear proliferation issue.

Not everything that happens in that part of the earth's surface has to do with the I-P issue. Please note that Mr. Vanunu is a Phillipino, a Christian convert, and not a Palestinian (if that matters).

I request that it be returned to LBN.


And as always, many thanks to the moderators for everything you do..

[mbperrin]

4. Well thank goodness there are some democratic regimes in

the Middle East who share our democratic values!

Umm...wonder if he'll get despondent and "kill himself" before his probation is up? I recommend missiles.

[David__77]

5. While I'm not too familiar with his casem, I sympathize with those...

...whose goal is to work toward a nuclear-free world. It's is interesting how a wild double-standard applies in the world--some countries get no scrutimy and others cannot even have a weather balloon without someone crying "weapons of mass destruction!"

[Zhade]

6. Absent the actions of this heroic man, we might not know Israel has nukes.

He is a true hero in my eyes.

This is nonsense, but at least he's no longer in solitary confinement. It's a start, anyway.

EDIT: Props to the mod(s) who returned this to LBN. Good call. :)

[KDLarsen]

7. And the sad part...

"Absent the actions of this heroic man, we might not know Israel has nukes."

... is that we don't even have a remote clue as to how many they have. Where is the UN weapons inspectors on this one? Oops, forgot, UN is irrelevant :mad:

[Zhade]

8. Or better still , it's "the lyin' UN".

:eyes:

Ignorance among alleged progressives is not a pretty sight.

[Guy_Montag]

9. what's the point of a nuclear deterrent

if no-one knows you have one?

[hippywife]

10. Does anyone else get the feeling

that by releasing him amidst a hostile media campaign and then not allowing him to leave the country, they are sentencing him to death by his fellow Israelis?

[Guy_Montag]

11. His brother said the same this morning on the BBC n/t