Hume, Trimble, Corrigan Maguire in Joint Appeal for Vanunu

international | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Tuesday July 19, 2005 12:43

by Justin Morahan - Peace People

Northern Ireland Peace Laureates combine in calling for Nuclear Whistleblower's full freedom

Summary: "Mordechai Vanunu , Israel's nuclear whistle-blower, spent 18 years in prison, was released in April 2004 but still is not free.
Now, former leader of the SDLP John Hume, former leader of the Unionist Party David Trimble and Maiiread Corrigan Maguire of the Peace People are amog 13 Nobel Peace Laureates who have called on the Israeli Government to allow Mordechai Vanunu to leave Israel"

Thirteen Nobel Peace Laureates, including John Hume, David Trimble and Mairead Corrigan Maguire, have signed a joint appeal calling on the Government of Israel to lift the restrictions re-imposed on the nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu last April and to allow Vanunu to leave Israel.

Mordechai Vanunu was officially released in April 2004 after serving an 18 year sentence in Ashkelon prison - the first eleven and a half of these he spent in solitary confinement. On his release, he was subjected to a number of very stringent limitations to his freedom, particularly his freedom to travel and his freedom of speech. Among other things, he is forbidden to leave the country, to enter any foreign embassy or consulate in Israel, or be found near any of the country's land, sea or air exits; he is also required to inform the authorities 48 hours in advance if he moves house, and 24 hours in advance if he plans to leave his city of residence or stay overnight somewhere other than at home; he is forbidden to talk with foreigners or participate in Internet chat rooms. Vanunu was arrested and sentenced to a week's house imprisonment on December 24th last for attempting to go to Mass in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Since his release in April 2004, he has been accepting sanctuary in St George's Anglican Church in Jerusalem. During the year his apartment in the Church hostel was raided, his computer seized and he himself arrested by Israeli police.

Recently, an Israeli Court has declared the arrest of December 24th illegal by pronouncing that he should have been free to visit Palestine including the West Bank and Gaza.

On July 3rd, 2005, Vanunu also filed an appeal with the High Court in Israel against the renewal of all the restrictions.

ENDS

Contacts:
Mairead Corrigan Maguire 00447736147713
Kevin Cassidy 028 41738997 (from Northern Ireland) 048 41738997 (from Republic of Ireland)
Justin Morahan 01 4904364 (00353 1 4904364)
Vanunu website:
http://www.serve.com/vanunu/
Mordechai Vanunu e-mail address
[email protected]

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Comments (4 of 4)

Text of Statement

Tue Jul 19, 2005 12:51

Below is the text of the Statement made by the thirteen Nobel peace Laureates.

"In l986 Mordechai Vanunu, who had worked as a technician at Israel’s secretive nuclear reactor in Dimona for 10 years, provided the Sunday Times of London with photographs and information about Israel’s nuclear weapons program. Abducted by Israeli secret agents, he was brought to Israel, tried in camera and convicted of treason and espionage. Sentenced to 18 years in prison, he spent the first 11 and a half of them in solitary confinement.

Vanunu finished his sentence in April 2004, but although out of prison he is not free. The State of Israel has imposed stringent restrictions on his freedom, including a prohibition on speaking to non-Israeli media, and he is banned from leaving the country.

We call on the government of Israel to lift these restrictions and allow Mr. Vanunu to leave. Twenty years after his last day at Dimona, he cannot possibly represent a security risk to Israel. Preventing Vanunu from travelling does nothing for Israel’s security while it tarnishes its reputation.

JOHN HUME (l998)

DAVID TRIMBLE (1998)

JODY WILLIAMS – INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES (1997)

BISHOP CARLOS FILIPE XIMENES BELO (l996)

JOSE RAMOS-HORTA (1996)

PROF. JOSEPH ROTBLAT – PUGWASH CONFERENCE SCIENCE AND WORLD AFFAIRS (1995)

RIGOBERTA MENCHU TUM (l992)

BISHOP DESMOND TUTU (l984)

ADOLFO PEREZ ESQUIVEL (1980)

BETTY WILLIAMS (l976)

MAIREAD CORRIGAN MAGUIRE (1976)

MARY ELLEN McNISH, AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE (1947)

CORA WEISS, INTERNATIONAL PEACE BUREAU (1910) - JULY, 2005."

Israeli convicted of shipping nuclear technology to Pakistan

by redjade

Sun Aug 07, 2005 13:01

Israeli convicted of shipping nuclear technology to Pakistan

http://www.indymedia.ie/publishcomments.php?story_id=70968

An Israeli businessman who conspired to ship controlled nuclear technology to Pakistan was sentenced to three years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo Urbina on Thursday imposed the sentence on Asher Karni, who pleaded guilty last year to helping ship devices that could be used to test, develop and detonate nuclear weapons.

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note: 3 years??!! And how many years did Vanunu get?

Is Trimble relevant???

by rooster

Mon Aug 08, 2005 04:33

After all he was dumped by his electorate!!

Yes, he is

Mon Aug 08, 2005 11:22

As far as I'm concerned, everyone is relevant

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Hume, Trimble, Corrigan Maguire in Joint Appeal for Vanunu

Comments (4 of 4)