Release Day News Direct 21 April 2004
After 18 years, Mordechai Vanunu is released from Prison!
From around 17.00 (BST) on 21 April, this page will carry the latest information about Mordechai's
release and the restrictions imposed on him by the Israeli authorities. Latest news and items will be featured on this page until the 27th.
Full copies of the press releases sent by the International Campaign Delegation in Israel will be posted here in the order that they are received. Scroll down to view older items.
PLEASE PROTEST!
Friday, April 23, 2004 10:27 AM
From : From the Israeli Committee to Free Vanunu:
Maariv Online English edition today is running a poll "What should be
done with Vanunu?" - in which one of the options is "killed".
Go to www.maarivintl.com and click on English Edition. At the
bottom of the page there is an option for contacting the editors. Please
express your disgust and protest at this dangerous and
offensive "opinion poll". Inform the editors that you will boycott the
paper.
You should know, that an official complaint against Maariv has been served
by Gideon Spiro of the Israeli Committee for Mordechai Vanunu for a
previous death threat that the paper carried in a column by Dan
Margalit.
Please respond quickly.
sample letter, to be used as is, or as inspiration for your own text
To the editor of Maariv
I hereby urge you to immediately remove the disgusting Vanunu opinion
poll. A respectable newspaper does not publish a questionnaire in which
killing a person after he was released from prison is a
legitimate option. You can be accused of incitement to murder.
If you don't stop this immediately and I don't receive from you an apology
then I will from now on boycott your paper, the printed as well as the
electronic versions.
[your name and address]
Please also send this letter, or one inspired by it. Fax directly to:
Mr. Menny Mazuz
Attorney General
Jerusalem
+972-2-6708727, +972-2-6288065, +972-2-6466731
Dear Sir,
I call upon you to open urgently an investigation on suspicion of
incitement to murder against the editor of Ma'ariv newspaper, Mr. Amnon
Dankner, as well as against the editor of the paper's internet
edition. I refer to a "readers' poll" published on the Ma'ariv
English-languague website today (April 23) on the question "what to do
with Vanunu? to which one of the answers the readers can choose is
"kill him" (see site at the address www.maarivintl.com).
In my view, when a mass-ciruclation paper publishes such a "poll", in which the idea
of murdering in cold blood a person whom large parts of the public regard
with hatred is presented as a legitimate oprtion among
the spectrum of activities condoned by the paper (and indeed, a large
number of Ma'ariv readers did choose the option of murder, and the paper
published this) then there is a clear and ptresent danger that
one or more readers will draw from this 'poll' legitimation to take up
arms and actually implement what the paper considers a legitimate act.
This is precisely the point at which freedom of speech ends and
naked incitement to murder begins. It is you duty as being in charge of
enforcing the laws of the state of Israel, to take appropriate steps.
Sincerely Yours
Name:
Address:
Copy : Ma'ariv editorial office fax 972-3-5610624
Out of Prison, Vanunu Celebrates with International Supporters
22 April 2004
From : U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
As he walked out the prison door Wednesday morning, April 21,
the thumping beat of a police helicopter overhead, the shouts from
the press and the cheers and jeers of demonstrators just outside the
massive gate may have prevented Mordechai Vanunu from hearing the
flutter of eighteen white doves taking flight. These living symbols
of peace, one for each year of his life lived behind bars, were set
free by the international gathering of supporters to celebrate this
Peace Hero's freedom.
Following the brief, dramatic press conference, Mordechai
Vanunu got into a car, and headed for St. George's Anglican Cathedral
in Jerusalem.
The gates opened, and the car was besieged by a vengeful mob.
Supporters closest to the gate, and police on foot, struggled to
surround the sedan as it slowly gained speed, deflecting fists and
boots and eggs until the unrepentant convict's ride had outrun this
visceral expression of the dangers facing Vanunu as long as he is
forced to remain in Israel.
The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem,
along with bishops and clergy from England, the USA and Australia as
well as local Christians, welcomed Vanunu. "The Eucharist was
offered in thanksgiving for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and in
prayers for Mr. Vanunu, his family and friends in the hopes that he
can live a normal life from now on," reported Bishop Riah.
To supporters watching on television, it seemed Vanunu had
already defied the reported prohibition on contact with foreigners
when he spoke with the international media at the prison. But within
the hour, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman told the BBC World
Service that the government had relented, at least for now. "He is
allowed to speak to foreigners and to the media, but not allowed to
speak of his work at Dimona."
Supporters on the ground had prepared to fete Vanunu in
private rooms at a restaurant that evening. For a few days, it
looked like the group would have to dine without him. Then the
address of the restaurant appeared in the media, distressing the
anxious owner. Quietly, arrangements were made to move the event to
St. George's, where Vanunu could safely meet the international
delegation.
"I could not believe my eyes and ears," says Fredrik S.
Heffermehl, a Norwegian peace activist who has corresponded with
Vanunu for 16 years and nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in
the last 15 years. "I had expected to see the sorry remains of a
mentally exhausted fellow who would be uncomfortable, surrounded by
so many people. Mordechai looked well, tanned and related to
everybody in two speeches. He circulated at ease and talked with
visible pleasure with everybody. Everybody.
"He took meticulous care to identify as many as possible of
the friends he had only met by mail and thank them. It was not a
little exaggeration when he said that his supporters were the real
heroes in this case.
"It must have taken an extraordinary stubbornness and
survival instinct to get through his ordeal alive. An absolute
determination not to give the system the joy of succeeding to break
him, seems to be the core factor in his rescuing his sound mind.
When I commented on his strength in facing the world and the waiting
world press, he said "The strength of 18 years in prison."
Israeli campaigner Rayna Moss writes, "We laughed, cried,
drank champagne, hugged and kissed Mordechai. We thanked the Bishop
for coming to Mordechai's aid and he replied 'It's our duty and an
honor.' Mordechai was eager to keep talking, to meet everyone - he
actually recognized our names and knew who everyone was once they
introduced themselves... For him, we were very real, although we had
never met.
"Among the impressions of Mordechai that people shared:
dignified, defiant, unbelievably strong, warm, elegant and just
wonderful."
At this time, Mordechai Vanunu remains in sanctuary at St.
George's through Sunday. It is not known whether or when he will
move into the Jaffa apartment initially arranged for him, now that
its location has been widely publicized.
Concern for his personal safety is not exaggerated: an
internet poll early Friday on the website of one Israeli daily,
Ma'ariv, shows one in three respondents chose "killed" as the answer
to the question, "What should be done with Vanunu?"
Both Israeli and American officials say they are watching
Vanunu closely because they are certain he has damaging secrets yet
to tell. But his safety matters not. "He's surrounded by at least
100 radicals who are worshiping him so I'm sure they'll take care of
his safety," said Justice Minister Tomy Lapid. No special security
measures are planned for Vanunu's benefit, he added.
Vanunu yesterday directed a special appeal to Norway to give
him a passport on humanitarian grounds, since Israel will not at this
time.
Jack Cohen-Joppa
Associate Coordinator
U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
POB 43384
Tucson, AZ 85733
Phone/Fax
[email protected]
www.nonviolence.org/vanunu
Despite restrictions Vanunu met international friends
Jaffa, April 22, 2004
From : Fredrik S. Heffermehl, International Vanunu Committee
phone: +972 3 682 0429 - cellular: +972 056 341 697
Mordechai Vanunu got a royal farewell with Ashkelon prison. People all
over the world have seen the images where he takes a deep breath and then
crosses the threshold between his miserable 18 years of torture, most of them in
solitary, diving resolutely into the throng of waiting cameras,
supporters, hecklers, police in strong force and helicopters chopping over head. It
was a historic moment in the struggle for nuclear disarmament, when the person
who has suffered more than everybody else for his conviction that nuclear
weapons must be eliminated left prison.
In short, poignant sentences to the press Vanunu, rejoiced in having
withstood the attempts at destroying him, called himself a testimony to the strength
of the human spirit and went on to emphasize that he had no secrets, had not
harmed Israel's interests and that he had a right to live without
restrictions and to leave the country.
The restrictions laid down by secret police and the ban on travel for one
year imposed by the minister of homeland security, include not meeting face to
face with foreigners, in particular press (if he is approached by press, he
should report such incidents to the police), were suspended for some hours
Wednesday evening, to permit the 100 supporters from all over the world to meet
their hero.
"I could not believe my eyes and ears" says Fredrik S. Heffermehl, a
Norwegian who has corresponded with Vanunu for 16 years and nominated him
for the Nobel Peace Prize in the last 15 years. I had expected to see the
sorry remains of a mentally exhausted fellow who would be uncomfortable
surrounded by so many people. Mordechai looked well, tanned and related to everybody
in two speeches. He circulatedat ease and talked with visible pleasure with
everybody. Everybody. He took meticulous care to identify as many as
possible of the friends he had only met by mail and thank them. In not a little
exaggeration he said that his supporters were the real heroes in this
case.
It must have taken an extraordinary stubbornnes and survival instinct to
get through his ordeal alive, an absolute determination not to give the system
the joy of succeeding to breaking him, seems to be the core factor in his
rescuing his sound mind. When I commented on his strength in facing the world and
the waiting world press, he said "The strength of 18 years in prison".
Due to all the hostility engendered by parts of the media and the
extremely tense and volatile situation in Israel, Vanunu will stay confined to the
St. George“s church compound in Jerusalem for some time. He hopes his appeals
against the restrictions will succeed and that he will be free to leave
Israel soon.
Vanunu yesterday directed a special appeal to Norway to give him a
passport on humanitarian grounds. His Norwegian supporters have already raised his
situation with Norwegian authorities and feel strong hope that Norway will
find a way to come to Vanunu's assistance.
During my several talks with him, Vanunu sent greetings to specific
friends in Norway and also appreciated a special greeting I had for him from the
University of Tromsų, where Vanunu became an Honorary Doctor in May 2001,
saying he looks very much forward to visiting Tromsoe.
A statement from the Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem
21 April 2004 / 1430
From : The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal
As chief pastor of the Anglican community in the Holy Land, I greeted Mordachai Vanunu this morning at 11:00 am as he was released from Ashkelon prison. He is an Anglican Christian and expressed his desire to offer thanks to God for his release from prison as his first act as a free man. At his request, I celebrated the Holy Eucharist in the Cathedral Church of St. George, Jerusalem, midday, in the presence of fellow Christians, including bishops and clergy from England, the USA and Australia as well as local Christians. The Eucharist was offered in thanksgiving for the resurrection of Jesus Christ and in prayers for Mr. Vanunu, his family and friends in the hopes that he can live a normal life from now on.
Press Release from US Campaign
21 April 2004
"I AM MORDECHAI VANUNU. I'M PROUD AND HAPPY TO DO WHAT I DID."
Contact: Jack Cohen-Joppa
U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
; call for Israel mobile #s.
With these words to the world, Israel's captive declared his freedom today, after 18 years of "cruel and barbaric" treatment in prison for telling the truth about Israel's secret nuclear arsenal
At 11 am, Vanunu walked out the door into Shikma prison's entry yard. A roar erupted from hundreds of demonstrators outside the locked main gate. Supporters at the gate were jostled by detractors behind, some shouting "Kill Vanunu!"
Moving deliberately past the press, surrounded and trailed by assorted officials and guards, Vanunu walked to the gate. Holding both hands high with the signs of victory and peace, he stepped up, onto the bars to see and acknowledge his supporters.
His brothers Asher and Meir, and Meir's young son Luca, had accompanied Vanunu out the door, and rejoined him as he returned to the forest of cameras and microphones.
Vanunu made a statement in English. I have no more secrets to tell; I want to leave Israel but they are restricting me. My treatment was cruel and barbaric; I was punished hard because I am became a Christian. I am a symbol of survival of the human spirit of freedom. I don't want to harm Israel. Open the Dimona reactor for inspection. I want to go to the United States and marry and have a life.
Vanunu then responded to questions for several minutes as Meir nudged him to quit repeatedly. Given the extreme restrictions placed on Vanunu's actions, Meir looked concerned that his brother might talk himself back into prison.
Asked about being a hero, Vanunu replied, "All those who stood behind me and who supported me for 18 years are the heroes."
Vanunu made a point to speak of his kidnapping in Italy, and to say that a photo of the woman reported to be "Cindy" was not the female Mossad agent who lured him to Rome in September 1986.
And he told the press, "I want President Bush, and Tony Blair, Gerhardt Schroeder, and Putin to [work] for my release from Israel."
Before getting into a car, Mordechai Vanunu said he was going to St. George's Anglican Church in Jerusalem to give thanks to God.
Action to Take
These restrictions on Vanunu's freedom are intolerable. They abuse his human rights to the point of endangering his life.
Please vigorously protest these restrictions and express your concern for Mordechai Vanunu with faxed letters and telephone calls to the Israeli Embassy in your country.
Washington, DC
Political Department
Tel:, 5582
Fax:
Press Office
Tel:
Fax:
Ottawa, Canada
Tel
Fax:
London, United Kingdom
Tel:
Fax: 0207 957 955
E-mail: [email protected]
PEACE HERO VANUNU LEAVING PRISON BUT NOT FREE TO GO
Tues April 21 / 14.11
From : U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
"PEACE HERO" MORDECHAI VANUNU, LEAVING PRISON IN HOURS, WILL BE GREETED BY WHITE DOVES, FLOWERS... AND YET MORE PUNISHMENT
In less than twelve hours, Israel's captive Mordechai Vanunu is to walk out of Shikma Prison, where his home was a cell for the last 18 years.
Over 100 international anti-nuclear, peace and human rights activists, and at least as many Israeli supporters of the nuclear whistleblower will assemble outside the prison gate at 8:00 am Wednesday morning (1:00 am, New York; 4/20 - 10:00 pm, Los Angeles). At 9:00 am there will be an open forum for people to voice their support for Dr. Vanunu.
At the moment of Dr. Vanunu's release, expected by 11:00 am (4:00 am New York - 1:00 am Los Angeles) eighteen white doves will be released, one for each year of the nuclear whistleblower's imprisonment.
Bouquets of flowers will greet him, and many signs with his smiling photo and the words "Thank you, Mordechai Vanunu - Peace Hero, Nuclear Whistleblower."
Then the leash stiffens, and the collar tightens. Although his full sentence has been served and all his secrets have been told, Mordechai Vanunu's next punishment is to shun all contact with foreigners and most modern communications while confined to the city of Jaffa for one year. He is denied his passport and is forbidden to enter embassies or approach borders and airports. He may not talk to Israelis about his work at the nuclear weapons factory in Dimona, nor even recite his published revelations from the pages of the London Sunday Times in October, 1986.
Tuesday evening at a prison vigil and press conference, many of 200 supporters tied black cloths across their mouths to symbolize the gag order, denounced by Amnesty International as a violation of Vanunu's human rights.
The International Campaign to Free Vanunu continues to stand with Mordechai Vanunu in condemnation of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and around the world. We continue to look for a free and open debate on the more than 200 Israeli thermonuclear weapons his revelations exposed 18 years ago.
We eagerly anticipate his first steps into freedom and condemn any restrictions that may be imposed.
Hundreds of people in over 20 cities around the world will gather tomorrow, April 21, to celebrate Mordechai Vanunu's release from Ashkelon Prison and condemn any restrictions.
There will be vigils in New York City, Detroit, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Rome, Lisbon, London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dublin, Makati City (Philippines), Sydney, Wellington, Vancouver, Birmingham, Bethlehem (Pennsylvania), and Edina (Minnesota).
For more information, see http://www.vanunu.co.uk, http://www.vanunu.com/, http://www.vanunu.org
Background:
In 1986, at the height of the Cold War, Mordechai Vanunu's clandestine photos from inside the Dimona nuclear center exposed its secrets and confirmed Israel to be a major nuclear weapons power. Kidnapped by Israeli agents just before his story was told in The Sunday Times of London, Vanunu was convicted of espionage and treason in a secret trial. He acted out of a belief that in a democracy, people should know about and debate such a pivotal issue as nuclear weapons.
Felice Cohen-Joppa
Coordinator
U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu
POB 43384
Tucson, AZ 85733
Phone/Fax
[email protected]
www.nonviolence.org/vanunu
PRESS RELEASE
April 20, 2004
From : Rayna Moss, 051 368 236
Today 200 international and Israeli activists gathered for a vigil at Ashkelon Prison in anticipation of Mordechai Vanunu's release tomorrow. Some of Vanunu's supporters tied black cloths across their mouths to symbolize the possible imposed silence of restrictions. They held signs with a smiling photo of Mordechai Vanunu which read "Thank you, Mordechai Vanunu - Peace Hero, Nuclear Whistleblower".
Supporters of Mordechai Vanunu from around the world will gather on the day of his release, April 21, to welcome him to freedom. The gathering of human rights, peace and anti-nuclear activists from many countries will gather at 8 a.m. across the road from Ashkelon Prison. At 9 a.m. there will be an open forum for people to voice their support for Dr. Vanunu.
At the moment of Dr. Vanunu's release, 18 white doves will be released, one for each year of the nuclear whistleblower's imprisonment.
The International Campaign to Free Vanunu continues to stand with Mordechai Vanunu in condemnation of nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East and around the world. We continue to look for a free and open debate on the more than 200 Israeli thermonuclear weapons his revelations exposed 18 years ago.
We eagerly anticipate his first steps into freedom and condemn any restrictions that may be imposed.
Hundreds of people in over 20 cities around the world will gather tomorrow, April 21, to celebrate Mordechai Vanunu's release from Ashkelon Prison and condemn any restrictions.
There will be vigils in New York City, Detroit, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Rome, Lisbon, London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasggow, Dublin, Makati City (Philippines), Sydney, Wellington, Vancouver, Birmingham, Bethlehem (Pennsylvania), and Edina (Minnesota).
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