Mordechai Vanunu (Hebrew: מרדכי ואנונו; born 14 October 1954),[1] also known as John Crossman,[2][3] is an Israeli former nuclear technician and peace activist[4] who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986.[5] He was subsequently lured to Italy by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, where he was drugged and abducted.[5] He was secretly transported to Israel and ultimately convicted in a trial that was held behind closed doors.[5]
Vanunu spent 18 years in prison, including more than 11 in solitary confinement, though no such restriction is mentioned in Israel's penal code, nor imposed by his verdict. Released from prison in 2004, he was further subjected to a broad array of restrictions on his speech and his movement, and arrested several times for violations of his parole terms, giving interviews to foreign journalists and attempting to leave Israel. He claims to have suffered from "cruel and barbaric treatment" at the hands of prison authorities, and suggests that these would have been different if he had not converted to Christianity.[6]
In 2007, Vanunu was sentenced to six months in prison for violating terms of his parole. The sentence was considered unusually severe even by the prosecution, who expected a suspended sentence. In May 2010, Vanunu was arrested again and sentenced to three months in jail on a charge that he had met foreigners, in violation of conditions of his 2004 release from jail. In response, Amnesty International issued a press release in July 2007, stating that "The organization considers Mordechai Vanunu to be a prisoner of conscience and calls for his immediate and unconditional release."[7]
Vanunu has been characterized internationally as a whistleblower[8][9] and by Israel as a traitor.[10][11][12] American whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg has referred to him as "the preeminent hero of the nuclear era".[13] In 1987, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "his courage and self-sacrifice in revealing the extent of Israel's nuclear weapons program".[14]
^Vanunu, Mordechai [@vanunumordechai] (22 February 2020). "I officially changed my age, from 1954 to 1952, according to a document received from Morocco, I was born in 1952, not 1954" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^"Vanunu: Take my Citizenship". Arutz Sheva. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
^"Mordechai Vanunu". 12 May 2013. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
^Harding, Luke; Campbell, Duncan (12 December 2006). "Calls for Olmert to resign after nuclear gaffe". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
^ abcMyre, Greg (21 April 2004). "Israeli Who Revealed Nuclear Secrets Is Freed". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
^"Israeli nuclear spy released". CNN. 21 April 2004. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
^"Israel: Mordechai Vanunu sentence clear violation of human rights". Amnesty International. 2 July 2007. Archived from the original on 10 July 2007.
^"Correspondent: Israel's Secret Weapon (transcript)". BBC. 17 March 2003.
^"Capturing nuclear whistle-blower was 'a lucky stroke', agents recall". Ha'aretz. 12 November 2006.
^"The meaning of Vanunu". Jewish World Review. 26 April 2004. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
^"Vanunu: traitor or prisoner of conscience?". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 April 2004.
^"Vanunu: Hero or traitor?". JWeekly. San Francisco. 23 April 2004. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012.
^Ellsberg, Daniel (21 April 2004). "Nuclear Hero's 'Crime' Was Making Us Safer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
^Campbell, Duncan (16 April 2004). "The Guardian profile: Mordechai Vanunu". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
MordechaiVanunu (Hebrew: מרדכי ואנונו; born 14 October 1954), also known as John Crossman, is an Israeli former nuclear technician and peace activist...
technician MordechaiVanunu to go with her to Rome, in the context of an extraordinary rendition with the purpose of ultimately taking him to Israel. Vanunu faced...
with media coverage of revelations from MordechaiVanunu, a technician formerly employed at the center. Vanunu was soon kidnapped by the Mossad and brought...
Mossad: The Torment of MordechaiVanunu. ISBN 1-58394-005-7 paperback edition title: The Woman from Mossad: The Story of MordechaiVanunu & the Israeli Nuclear...
possession of up to 13 operational nuclear warheads by 1967. In 1986, MordechaiVanunu, a former technician at Dimona, fled to the United Kingdom and revealed...
Israel about MordechaiVanunu". Peace People. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2011. I have met Mordechai many times since...
in February 2011. Among the former prisoners is Israeli scientist MordechaiVanunu. Tegart fort, including the one inside Shikma Prison Aerial view „Ukraine...
London that MordechaiVanunu revealed information about Israel's nuclear capability to The Sunday Times, then to the Daily Mirror. Vanunu was subsequently...
Mossad officer, known for having headed Israel's efforts to abduct MordechaiVanunu. George Weiss (later Giora Tzahor) was born in Saint-Étienne, France...
supporter of MordechaiVanunu, the technician who revealed the Israeli nuclear programme. Heffermehl said in 2008 that he had nominated Vanunu for the Nobel...
he uttered in 2010 against Erna Solberg.[citation needed] She had MordechaiVanunu denied political asylum so as not to damage relations with Israel....
for The Sunday Times, and was one of the reporters who worked with MordechaiVanunu, the Israeli nuclear technician kidnapped by Mossad for revealing Israel's...
1989 Trying Times David Episode: "Hunger Chic" 1990 Secret Weapon MordechaiVanunu Television film 1992 Screenplay Michael Tyne Episode: "Buying a Landslide"...
the University of Glasgow and was officially installed, succeeding MordechaiVanunu, on 10 April 2008. He won the election with a 46% share of the vote...
in 2007. Politically, York was left-leaning, and publicly supported MordechaiVanunu, the Israeli dissident who revealed Israel's nuclear weapons programme...
nuclear weapon program, leaving the details of any such weapons unclear. MordechaiVanunu, a former nuclear technician for Israel, confirmed the existence of...
organisations, including Wangari Maathai, Astrid Lindgren, Bianca Jagger, MordechaiVanunu, Leopold Kohr, Arna Mer-Khamis, Felicia Langer, Petra Kelly, Survival...
June 2004). "Expert Opinion Of Charles Frank Barnaby in The Matter of MordechaiVanunu" (PDF). fas. Retrieved 21 June 2016. "Israel: Votes Without Conscience:...
— Sean Pertwee's opening narration February 1977 Nuclear Technician MordechaiVanunu is assigned to work at the top secret Dimona facility. In 1986 he reveals...
inspect. In 1969, the United States terminated the inspections. In 1986, MordechaiVanunu, a former technician at the Dimona plant, revealed to the media some...
chose to set off the test during a typhoon. By 1984, according to MordechaiVanunu, Israel was mass-producing neutron bombs. The Republic of South Africa...
would be unable to undertake the position's responsibilities, while MordechaiVanunu (2005–2008) was unable to fulfil his duties as he was not allowed to...
Arab-Israeli war. Executed by firing squad but pardoned after his death. MordechaiVanunu, for revealing details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British...
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