I support Mordechai Vanunu in his struggle for full freedom
(Last updated: 18 January 2007)


LATEST NEWS:
 After 23 years and 8 months Israel puts Mordechai Vanunu back in prison for talking to his Girl Friend

They have done everything to break the spirit of this man and failed.  Now he is back in prison for 3 months because he spoke to his girl friend.

According to Gush Shalom, they poisoned Arafat.  Are they trying to drive Vanunu mad?

But it is the State of Israel, buoyed up by the unquestioning support of the USA, the EU and corporate interests, that appears to have gone mad.  They have been pampered by high places, first non-European State to get a place in the Eurovision contest, special treatment from the European Union, entry granted to join OECD, even after the holocaust of Gaza, even though they occupy Palestine illegally, even though they trample by night and by day on the rights of Palestinians, even though they have besieged Gaza, even though they destroyed the second ever democracy in the Middle East - Palestine whose people elected Hamas as their Government, even though they shut their ears to the world's cry to remove sanctions from Vanunu when he had served his 18 years.  And now, in one of the meanest of mean actions they come between Vanunu and his girl friend and jail him for talking to her!

Shame forever on this State of Israel





1000 days have passed:

News report  16 January 2007                        (Contacts Justin Morahan 4904364, John Fitzgibbon 2853387)

 Vanunu "1000 Days" protest at Israeli Embassy

There was a protest held today outside the Israeli Embassy in Dublin to mark the thousandth day since Mordechai Vanunu, was placed under severe sanctions in Israel  immediately after he was released from Ashkelon prison where he had served an eighteen year sentence.  Mordechai Vanunu is the whistle-blower who told the world that Israel had nuclear weapons.

The English version of  " I am your Spy", written by Vanunu while he was in prison, was read outside the Embassy by John Fitzgibbon and the Irish version of the same poem "Is mise bhur Spiaire" was read by Máire Ní Fhearghusa.

The new Israeli Ambassador, Dr Zion Evrony, through an Embassy representative refused to accept a letter from the protestors, insisting that it be sent by post.  Over a hundred leaflets were distributed to members of the public.

Pasted below are (i) Letter to the Ambassador.
(ii) Text of "I am your Spy"  (iii) Text of "Is mise bhur Spiaire"
(iv)Text of  leaflet

(i) LETTER TO THE AMBASSADOR

To

To Dr Zion Evrony
Israeli Ambassador to Ireland
Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge
Dublin

16 January 2007
RE: LET HIM GO

Dear Ambassador

In defiance of the Declaration of Human Rights, the State of Israel continues to deny Dr Mordechai Vanunu his rights of freedom of movement and freedom of speech, one thousand days after his release from 18 years of incarceration - twelve of those years were spent in solitary confinement.

The only crime Dr Vanunu committed was to tell the truth, namely that Israel is a nuclear State. - This truth is now known to the whole world and admitted recently by your Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. How, on the one hand, Israel can admit that it is a nuclear state, and, on the other hand, persecute Mordechai Vanunu as if he were the one revealing what your Prime Minister has now admitted - beggars belief. It also raises further serious questions as to Israel's claim to be a democracy that respects either justice or human rights.

Mordechai Vanunu, since his release, has not been allowed to travel outside of Israel; inside of Israel his right to move where he pleases is seriously restricted. But Article 13 of the Declaration of Human Rights states:

1 Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State and

2 Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country

.Israel has also denied him the right to speak to foreigners or give interviews. But the same Declaration says:

Article 19: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

At present, based on this denial of his human rights there are charges against Dr Vanunu pending in the Israeli courts, including one charge of having spoken to an Irish journalist. Since when has this become a crime? Who should be prosecuted: Dr Vanunu for exercising his human rights or Israel for denying him those rights?

One thousand days after you released this man from an outrageous prison sentence fully served, for a heroic action that Israel declared a crime, it is preposterous that you keep him still in Israel under these pernicious strictures. Everyone except your most avid supporters – and even some of these latter whom I have met - believes that Israel's treatment of Vanunu is an act of vengeance and has nothing to do either with security or with justice.

With best personal wishes

Justin Morahan
Scholarstown Park
Dublin 16


(ii) TEXT OF "I AM YOUR SPY"

I Am Your Spy
by Mordechai Vanunu

I am the clerk, the technician, the mechanic, the driver.
They said, Do this, do that, don't look left or right,
Don't read the text. Don't look at the whole machine. You
are only responsible for this one bolt. For this one rubber-stamp.
This is your only concern. Don't bother with what is above you.
Don't try to think for us. Go on, drive. Keep going. On, on.

So they thought, the big ones, the smart ones, the futurologists.
There is nothing to fear. Not to worry.
Everything's ticking just fine.
Our little clerk is a diligent worker. He's a simple mechanic.
He's a little man.
Little men's ears don't hear, their eyes don't see.
We have heads, they don't.

Answer them, said he to himself, said the little man,
the man with a head of his own. Who is in charge? Who knows
where this train is going?
Where is their head? I too have a head.
Why do I see the whole engine,
Why do I see the precipice--
is there a driver on this train?



The clerk driver technician mechanic looked up.
He stepped back and saw -- what a monster.
Can't believe it. Rubbed his eyes and -- yes,
it's there all right. I'm all right. I do see
the monster. I'm part of the system.
I signed this form. Only now I am reading the rest of it.

This bolt is part of a bomb. This bolt is me. How
did I fail to see, and how do the others go on
fitting bolts. Who else knows?
Who has seen? Who has heard? -- The emperor really is naked.
I see him. Why me? It's not for me. It's too big.

Rise and cry out. Rise and tell the people. You can.
I, the bolt, the technician, mechanic? -- Yes, you.
You are the secret agent of the people. You are the eyes of the nation.
Agent-spy, tell us what you've seen. Tell us what the insiders, the
clever ones, have hidden from us.
Without you, there is only the precipice. Only catastrophe.

I have no choice. I'm a little man, a citizen, one of the people,
but I'll do what I have to. I've heard the voice of my conscience
and there's nowhere to hide.
The world is small, small for Big Brother.
I'm on your mission. I'm doing my duty. Take it from me.

Come and see for yourselves. Lighten my burden. Stop the train.
Get off the train. The next stop -- nuclear disaster. The next book,
the next machine. No. There is no such thing.

-written from Ashkelon Prison, Israel


(iii) TEXT OF IS MISE BHUR SPIAIRE


IS mise bhur spiaire

Mise an cléireach, an teicneoir, an meicneoir, an tiománaí
Dúirt siad, Déan seo, déan siúd, ná breathnaigh fá dheis nó fá chlé
Ná léigh an script. Ná scrúdaigh an maisín ina iomlán.  Tá tusa
freagrach as an
mbolta seo amháin.  As an stampa rubair seo.
Ní bhaineann aon ní eile leat.  Ná cuir spéis i nithe atá os do chionn.
Ná triail machtnamh ar ár son.  Ar aghaidh leat, Tiomáin.  Lean ort.  Ar agaidh, ar aghaidh.

Mar sin a cheap siad, na boic mhóra, na daoine cliste, na todhchaithe.
Ná bíodh faitíos ort.  Nó imní. Tá gach rud ag gabháil leis go maith.
Oibrí dícheallach ár gcléireaichín.  Meicneoir simplí.  Firín beag.
Ni chloiseann cluasa na bhfiríní sin faic.  Ní fheiceann a súile  faic
Tá cloigeann orainne, níl orthu-san.

Tabhair freagra orthu, ar seisean leis féin, an firín seo,
an fear ar a raibh a chloigeann féin.  Cé tá i gceannas?  Cé aga bhfuil a fhios
cad é an ceann scríbe atá ag an traein seo?
Cá bhfuil a gcloigeann siúd?  Tá cloigeann ormsa chomh maith.
Cén fáth a bhfeicim-se an t-inneal ar fad
Cén fáth a bheficim-se an aill? -
Bhfuil tiománaí ar an traein seo?

D'ardaigh an cléireach tiománaí teicneoir meicneoir a shúile
Thóg sé céim siar and chonaic sé - a leithead d'ollphéist
Ní chreidim é.  Chuimil sé na súile agus - sea,
Sin a bhí ann.  Níl mearbhall orm. Feicim
an ollphéist.  Cuid den chóras mé.
Shínigh mé an fhoirm seo. Anois amháin táim ag lé an chuid eile de.

Páirt de bhuama an bolta seo.  Mise an bolta.  Cén chaoi
a raibh mé caoch, conas a leanann an dream eile ar aghaidh
ag socrú boltaí.  Cé eile ag a bhfuil a fhios. 
Cé eile a chonaic é?  Cé eile a chuala faoi? - Tá an t-Impire lomnocht indairíre. 
Feicim é.  Cén fáth mise?  Níl fonn orm é seo a fheiceail..  Tá sé ró-mhór dom.

Éirigh suas agus scread amach.  Éirigh agus inis don phobal é.  Tá tú ábalta.
Mise? an bolta, an teicneoir, an meicneoir? - Sea, tusa.
Is tusa gníomhaire rúnda an phobail.  Tusa súile an náisiúin.
A ghníomhaire-spiaire, inis dúinn an méid a bhfaca tú.  Inis dúinn cad
a cheil na fir feasa, na daoine cliste, orainn
Gan tusa, níl romhainn ach an aill.  Níl romhainn ach anachain.

Níl aon rogha agam.  Is firín beag mé, saoránach, duine den phobal 
ach déanfaidh mé an rud ceart.  Chuala mé glór mo choinsiasa
agus níl aon áit agam le dul i bhfolach air
Tá an domhan beag, ró-bheag don Deartháir Mór.
Tá mé reidh le dul ar bhur misean. Seo mo dhualgas. Creid ionam

Tagaigí anseo agus feicigí féin é,  Déanaigí m'ualach níos éadroime.  Stopaigí an traein.
Túirlingigí den traein.  An chéad stop eile - tubaiste núicléach. An chéad leabhar eile,
an chéad maisín eile.  Ní hea.  Níl a leithead ann.


(iv) Excerpt from LEAFLET HANDED OUT AT EMBASSY

LET VANUNU GO


Freed 1000 days ago - still unfree in Israel.

Mordechai Vanunu spent seventeen years and six months in an Israeli prison and was “freed” on 21 April 2004

But after 1000 days he is still confined to Israel, facing sanctions, forbidden to speak freely or leave the country. This is in violation of the Declaration of Human Rights (see page 4)

Mordechai Vanunu told the world that Israel had nuclear weapons.

Kidnapped in Rome, he was shipped to Israel in shackles. There he was tried in secret and sentenced to 18 years.

He spent eleven and a half years in solitary confinement in Ashkelon prison from September 1986 to March 1998.

Due to international pressure, he was released to the yard of the prison but allowed to mix only with hostile Israeli prisoners.

Here he was kept for another six years until April 2004

Once out of prison Israel served notice that he was not really free. They denied him freedom of movement and freedom of speech.

THIS DENIAL IS A VIOLATION OF THE DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

He is forbidden too to speak to foreigners, give interviews, go near embassies, go near the boundaries of Israel, change address without notification, use e-mail. He has been arrested several times, detained, charged, released. His room in the hostel where he had stayed for two years was raided – on one occasion by 30 officers, who terrified pilgrims visiting St George's Church to which his hostel was then attached.

Since 21 April 2004, he remains in Jerusalem, under the watchful eye of the Israeli secret police, forbidden to leave Israel – even to go to Palestine. The Israeli State renewed all the restrictions on his freedom on 21 April, 2006.

(See page 4, Declaration of Human Rights,)

MEMO TO ISRAEL

LET VANUNU GO

Mordechai Vanunu

Although himself coming from a Jewish Moroccan family who had settled in Israel, Vanunu had quickly identified with the Palestinians who suffered exile and repression within Israel and Palestine.

He converted to Christianity from Judaism before he was imprisoned.

He refuses to accept the barbaric conditions of release imposed on him by Israel. He has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on numerous occasions and has won innumerable other prizes including the alternative Nobel and the John Lennon/Yoko Ono award.

He has requested asylum in several countries, including Ireland, but without success.

LET VANUNU GO

Write to Mordechai at.                                                                 Write to::

            P O Box 66478.                                                                                 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

   Herodian Post Office                                                                         eulmert@knesset.gov.il

East Jerusalem

Tel: 0523744569                                                                                       Meir Sheetrit Acting Minister for Justice                

vmjc1954@gmail.com                                                                                    mshitrit@knesset.gov.il

________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________


November 2006: Court, Pressures, Journalist forbidden to travel freely in Israel
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/79905
October 30 court hearing
October 3 court hearing
September 21 court hearing
September 6 Court hearing  http:
//www.indymedia.ie/article/78263
May 1 court hearing postponed
Nominated in 24th place in New Statesman Heroes of the World, May 2006
Israel renews restrictions on Vanunu for another year
, April 2006. http://www.serve.com/vanunu/20060427haaretz.html
Three of us visit Mordechai for 21st April  and vigil in Dublin (See report: visitpalestineisraelvanunu

Mairead Maguire decides to stay "indefinitely" in Israel.  See report: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/75655
Petition in Ha'aretz 30 April 2006 (see below)


"TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL -

Stop mistreating Mordechai Vanunu!

Lift the restrictions imposed on him!

In the past week the Government of Israel has extended for the third year the restrictions it imposed on Mordechai Vanunu when he was released from prison. He is forbidden to leave Israel; may not move freely inside Israel; is forbidden to speak to foreign nationals, 'for fear of causing damage to the security of the State'.

Mordechai Vanunu served the sentence that was imposed on him - 18 years in prison, of which he spent 11 and a half years in complete isolation. He came out of prison wholly committed to the idea of a world without weapons of mass destruction - the same idea he upheld when he was imprisoned. He remains convinced of the rightness of this cause

The element of vengeance by the Israeli Government is plain to see. No-one in their senses believes that Vanunu represents a threat to the security of Israel. He told everything he knew to the Sunday Times in 1986. All the experts in Israel and abroad - except those who speak for the secret services - agree that after 20 years away from the Dimona reactor Vanunu has not a shred of information that could endanger the security of the State.

The restrictions imposed on Mordechai Vanunu violate the basic rights of citizens in a democratic country - the freedom of expression and of movement. These restrictions also conflict with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Mr Prime Minister, the Chiefs of the Security Services of Israel -

Let Mordechai Vanunu leave, to live wherever he chooses. He would like to have a family of his own and to exist as a free man, without Big Brother dominating his existence.

LET MORDECHAI VANUNU GO FREE" (240 signatories including Mairead Maguire, Jackie Maguire, Kevin Cassidy, Ann Patterson, Justin Morahan) published in Haaretz newspaper, Israel, 30 April 2006.

21 APRIL 2006  Second anniversary of Mordechai Vanunu's release.  He is still bound by a multitude of restrictions and not allowed to leave Israel.  The restrictions have been renewed for another twelve months.  Mordechai is now forbidden explicitly from entering "Samaria and Gallillee" i.e. West Bank, and also Gaza.  So he is forbidden from entering Palestine.
Peace People Mairead Maguire (Nobel Laureate, Ann Patterson and Justin Morahan visit to Mordechai in Jerusalem for anniversary
Faslane to London cycle support marathon arrives in London, addressed by Tony Benn and Adeline O'Keeffe


1 MAY 2006: Appearance in court on charges of violating his restrictions.   Another date to be fixed.


Out of Prison - Not Yet Free

Nuclear Whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, released on 21 April 2004, is still unfree in Israel after 1002 days

There seems to be no end in sight to his unwilling sojourn in Israel but he fights on through the courts to break free of the country that kept him in solitary confinement for 11 years and nine months and a total of seventeen and a half years in prison.

This has been now followed by "restrictions" on his liberty - he is not not permitted to travel, to change residence for a night without notice, to speak to foreigners, give press interviews, go near an embassy, go near the Israeli border or leave Israel.

At present there is a decision due in an Israeli court as to whether he is guilty of 21 violations of these inhuman restrictions.

Committed to non-violence, he continues to maintain his right to oppose nuclear proliferation throughout the world.

Recent Court Appearances (see also top of page)

13th January 2006: Mordechai's appeal against the restrictions defeated in court again

25th January 2006
The trial of Mordechai Vanunu that was scheduled for 15th January was postponed to Jan 25th, and began on that date in the lower court of Jerusalem. In court were his brother Meir, and about a dozen supporters from Israel and overseas. The trial coincided with Palestinian election day: there were no foreign media present and only three local journalists in court.
The Prosecution presented the court with copies of "interviews" between Mordechai and foreign media, some as text, more as sound down load from the Internet, still more as video and disc copies. Media bodies mentioned included BBC World, David Frost, Sky, ABC, Australia Late Night, Radio KPFA(US), Le Figaro, Asahi Shimbun (Japan), Internet websites and chat.
The Defence (Avigdor Feldman) argued that the identity of the alleged foreign interviewers was not proven by the State, and that most of the evidence was not original copies but downloads.
Evidence was also given by a police officer who interrogated Mordechai last year in a police station and who secretly recorded the interrogation.
This concluded the first session and the second session was fixed for 9th February.

9th February 2006: Second part of trial. There were three supporters in court, including Gideon Spiro who was also there on January 25th.
The Prosecution presented two more witnesses, one a clerk from the Interior Ministry. Under cross-examination, it appeared that registration records are not perfect and cannot be relied upon to ensure the identity or existence of a person as an Israeli resident/citizen.
The defence showed the court how a man born in 1893, now dead, was still active in the registration records. Also, how a person had two ID numbers on the same name in the Interior ministry's own Residents list of citizens (See also a report from Jerry Levin: http://www.serve.com/vanunu/20060211cpt.html
)

A policeman gave evidence of arrest and interrogation of Mordechai at a Bethlehem checkpoint but was unable to identify the boundaries of Jerusalem.
The Defence then argued that "chats" taken from Mordechai's laptop, have the same status as telephone calls and the police needed authorisation for listening to or recording them. Judge Yoel Zur said he would decide on this issue later.
The next session was fixed for February 22nd when the defence wish to question Mr Peterborg, the policeman who interrogated Mordechai last year in police headquarters.

22 February 2006: Third part of trial. Even before the trial, the Judge had given notice that much of the State evidence taken from Mordechai's computer without his permission was inadmissible
Policeman Peterborg was questioned by Defence (Mr Sfard) re his methods, his search of Mordechai's computers for e-mails.
It appeared that in August 2004, the police asked Microsoft for details of his Hotmail account, his passwords and IP address. Microsoft gave them everything except his password.
The defence held that the police misled both the judge and Microsoft, making them believe that this was an espionage case and not merely a breach of restrictions.
Both sides have until May 1, to write their "No case to answer" briefs.

(The above accounts are based on material at Mordechai's home website: http://www.serve.com/vanunu/ ).


Vanunu detained again

Arrested again 18 November 2005 for going to Palestine. Acquitted on Sunday and Mobile and camera seized.

19 November 2005

Whistleblower arrested on bus at checkpoint and taken in "for questioning"

The long persecution of Mordechai Vanunu continues as the State of Israel continues to refuse to Let Vanunu Go

For releasing the secrets of Israel's illicit nuclear arsenal, the powers that be within Israel seem bent on breaking his indomitable spirit.

Mordechai Vanunu was detained yesterday in Jerusalem as he crossed a checkpoint from Palestine into Israel to the north of Jerusalem

Reuters reports that Israeli paramilitary border police carried out a spot check on a bus travelling through al-Ram checkpoint towards Jerusalem, and noticed Vanunu among the passengers

Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld is quoted as saying: "He has been taken to our International Crimes Unit for questioning."

An Associated Press report from Jerusalem quotes another police spokesman, Shmuel Ben-Ruby, as saying that Mordechai Vanunu was arrested because Israelis have been forbidden from entering Palestinian-controlled areas since fighting broke out between the sides in 2000

However, as the same report points out, an Israeli court ruled last May that an earlier visit he had made to "the Palestinian areas" did not constitute a violation of his conditions of release, which forbid him from visiting foreign countries.

The Times on line reports that when arrested at the al-Ram checkpoint as he returned from the West Bank, Vanunu told public television . “I wanted to protest against the apartheid wall that is shutting the Palestinians off in a ghetto,” referring to the barrier that Israel is constructing through sections of the West Bank.

Vanunu was released from Ashkelon prison last April after eighteen years but was served notice on his release of severe limitations to his freedom. Among other penalties, he was forbidden to speak to foreigners, give interviews, approach embassies or go near the borders of Israel, change address for even one night without informing the police or leave the State of Israel. He rejects all of the strictures on his freedom and in January faces charges of having broken many of them.

During his term of imprisonment, he spent eleven and a half years in solitary confinment. For the rest of his sentence he was allowed only to associate with Israeli prisoners with whom he was unpopular and was forbidden contact with Palestinian prisoners who empathised with him.

Although forbidden, he continues to speak out on matters of peace and justice and human rights, particularly on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with which he is most familiar. In an al-Jazeerah interview last September he said: "If the Jews have the right of return, based on what happened 2,000 years ago, then the Palestinians have the right of return after 50 years as well. With one state, there will be no more conflict over land and there will be no more enemies."

Israel has consistently rejected pleas from all over the world to let Vanunu go. Since his release in April 2004, he has spent 579 days in the virtual prison of the State of Israel itself. Like a captured bird he was cruelly put into a miniscule cage-within-a -cage, then allowed access to the cage itself, and after eighteen years "released" to the kitchen of his captors but no farther.