Vanunu taken to court over foreign interviews.
Free speech on trial in Israel.
(Illustration: Satellite image of Dimona nuclear facility.)
Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu is on trial accused of violating terms of his release from prison by talking to foreign reporters and trying to visit the West Bank.
Vanunu, 50, was released last April after serving an 18-year term for spilling secrets about the Dimona nuclear reactor to a British newspaper. The revelations of the former technician led experts to conclude that Israel had nuclear weapons.
“It is shameful to Israeli democracy to bring me back to court after all those years in prison,” Vanunu told Reuters outside the Jerusalem court on Tuesday. “This case is proving to the world that Israel is not a realdemocracy.
“As a human being, I have the right to express my political views and my ideas. I have no more secrets,” hesaid.
Under the terms of Vanunu’s release, he was forbidden from speaking to foreign media and had to remain inside Israel. If convicted of violating the bans, he could be jailed for up to two years.
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