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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Mordechai Vanunu 2009.jpg
| alt = Mordechai Vanunu in 2009
| caption = Vanunu in 2009
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|
| birth_place = [[Marrakesh]], [[
| death_date =
| death_place =
| awards = [[Right Livelihood Award]]
| nationality = Israeli
| other_names = John Crossman
| known_for = [[List of nuclear whistleblowers|Nuclear whistleblower]]
| spouse = {{marriage|{{ill|Kristin Joachimsen|no}}|19 May 2015}}
}}
'''Mordechai Vanunu''' ({{lang-he|מרדכי ואנונו}}; born 14 October
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
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]].
Vanunu has been characterized internationally as a [[whistleblower]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/programmes/correspondent/transcripts/17_03_2003.txt|title=Correspondent: Israel's Secret Weapon (transcript)|date=17 March 2003|publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/capturing-nuclear-whistle-blower-was-a-lucky-stroke-agents-recall-1.120228|title=Capturing nuclear whistle-blower was 'a lucky stroke', agents recall|work=[[Ha'aretz]]|date=12 November 2006}}</ref> and by Israel as a traitor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0404/stephens_vanunu.php3|title=The meaning of Vanunu|work=Jewish World Review|date=26 April 2004|access-date=12 November 2006|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224155548/http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0404/stephens_vanunu.php3|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/21/1082530235940.html?from=storyrhs|title=Vanunu: traitor or prisoner of conscience?|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=22 April 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/22200/edition_id/448/format/html/displaystory.html|title=Vanunu: Hero or traitor?|work=JWeekly|location=San Francisco|date=23 April 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121208161538/http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/22425/vanunu-hero-or-traitor/|archive-date=8 December 2012}}</ref>
==Early and educational life==
{{BLP sources section|date=March 2017}}
Vanunu was born in [[Marrakesh]], [[Morocco]], the second of 11 children born to an [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jewish]] family that lived in the city's
Vanunu's father purchased a small grocery store in the town's market area, and the family moved into an apartment. Vanunu's father devoted his spare time to religious studies. He came to be regarded as a [[rabbi]], earning respect in the market. Vanunu was sent to a Yeshiva Tichonit, a religious elementary school on the outskirts of town, which mixed religious and conventional studies.<ref name="Hounam, pg. 31-32">Hounam, pg. 31-32</ref>
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=== Political views and activities ===
His political views had begun to change and he became critical of many policies of the Israeli government. He opposed the [[1982 Lebanon War]], and when he was called up to serve in that war as a reserve soldier in the Engineering Corps, he refused to perform field tasks and instead did kitchen duty. He
In his security file at the Negev Nuclear Research Center, it was noted that he had displayed "left-wing and pro-Arab beliefs".<ref name="Gideon's Spies"/> In May 1984, he was questioned by the head of security at Dimona and a lawyer who was possibly from [[Shin Bet]], and was let off with a stern warning about divulging any
In June 1984, he was again interrogated at the facility's security office. The next month, he left for France for two weeks with a student group to meet [[History of the Jews in France|French-Jewish]] students in [[Paris]] and when he returned, he was interrogated again. In 1985, Vanunu reportedly joined the [[Maki (political party)|Israeli Communist Party]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://people.com/archive/a-man-of-mystery-sells-a-chilling-story-and-then-vanishes-vol-26-no-20|title=A Man of Mystery Sells a Chilling Story and Then Vanishes|last=Gross|first=Ben|volume=26|issue=20|publisher=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=17 November 1986|access-date=6 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://972mag.com/saying-goodbye-to-the-soviet-spy-who-was-an-israeli-patriot/114498|title=A Soviet spy and an Israeli patriot|last=Matar|first=Haggai|magazine=[[+972 Magazine]]|date=3 December 2015|access-date=6 February 2017}}</ref> Vanunu later claimed that he had developed a very close friendship with an Israeli Arab, and after a year, discovered that his friend was being paid to spy on him.<ref>Hounam, p. 47</ref>
=== Gathering evidence ===
Vanunu graduated from Ben-Gurion University in 1985 with a BA in philosophy and geography.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fleming|first=Eileen|title=Third Intifada/Uprising: NONVIOLENT But With Words Sharper Than A Two-Edged Sword - Memoirs of a Nice Irish American 'Girl's' Life in Occupied Territory|publisher=Outskirts Press|date=5 February 2007|isbn=978-1-4327-0254-0|page=104}}</ref> In early 1985, he lost his job following a mass layoff of workers due to government cutbacks, but his [[trade union|labor union]] won him his job back. After he resumed working at the facility, Vanunu secretly smuggled in a camera and covertly took 57 photographs. He quit his job on 27 October 1985, due to repeated efforts by his superiors to transfer him to tasks that were less sensitive than his previous positions at the facility. He was given severance pay of $7,500 and a reference letter praising his work and describing his departure as a layoff.<ref>Hounam, p. 39</ref><ref>Cochran, Thomas B. [http://docs.nrdc.org/nuclear/files/nuc_10149601a_174.pdf The Relevance of Mordechai Vanunu Disclosures to Israel's National Security] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140927225858/http://docs.nrdc.org/nuclear/files/nuc_10149601a_174.pdf |date=27 September 2014 }}, nrdc.org; accessed 23 February 2017.</ref>
On 15 April 2015,
==Disclosure, abduction and publication==
{{BLP sources section|date=December 2017}}
After leaving his job, Vanunu started attending [[Israeli Communist Party]] meetings, but was unimpressed with the level of discussion and soon stopped going. He
During his time in Nepal, Vanunu visited the Soviet embassy in [[Kathmandu]] to inquire about the travel documents he would need for a future trip to the [[Soviet Union]]. He then returned to Thailand, and from there went to Australia on a flight to [[Sydney]]. Vanunu decided to settle permanently in Sydney, and after ten days of sightseeing, he found a job as a dishwasher at the Menzies Hotel, and then at a Greek restaurant. Meanwhile, he studied for and eventually gained a taxi license. He
=== Meeting with journalists ===
During his time in Australia, Vanunu met Oscar Guerrero, a freelance journalist from [[Colombia]]. Guerrero persuaded Vanunu to sell his story, claiming that his story and photographs were worth up to $1 million. After failing to interest ''[[Newsweek]]'', Guerrero approached the British ''[[The Sunday Times (UK)|Sunday Times]]'', and within a few days, Vanunu was interviewed by ''Sunday Times'' journalist [[Peter Hounam]]. According to American journalist Louis Toscano, Guerrero approached the Israeli consulate in August 1986, offering help in tracking down an Israeli "traitor". Guerrero was hoping to be paid. He met with an Israeli intelligence officer named Avi Kliman and told him Vanunu's story. Kliman was initially dismissive but took down Vanunu's name and passport number, which was checked. They met a second time, during which Guerrero handed over four crudely copied photographs.<ref>Hounam, pp. 13-14</ref>
On 7 September 1986, two men who identified themselves as officers from [[Shin Bet]] approached Vanunu's older brother Albert in his carpentry shop in Beersheba and questioned him about his brother. They told him that he was in Australia, that he was talking to a British newspaper about his work at the nuclear research center, urged him to dissuade his brother, and then made him sign a non-disclosure agreement barring him from talking about the meeting.<ref>Hounam, p. 53</ref> On 10 September, Vanunu and Hounam flew to London from Australia. There, in violation of his non-disclosure agreement, Vanunu revealed to the ''Sunday Times'' his knowledge of the Israeli nuclear programme, including the photographs he had secretly taken at the Dimona site. [[File:Frank Barnaby (1982).jpg|thumb|[[Frank Barnaby]] (pictured in 1982) helped verify Vanunu's story, and later testified for him as a defense witness<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />]]
The ''Sunday Times'' was wary of being duped, especially in light of the recent [[Hitler Diaries]] hoax. As a result, the newspaper insisted on verifying Vanunu's story with leading nuclear weapon experts, including former U.S. nuclear weapons designer [[Ted Taylor (physicist)|Theodore Taylor]] and former British [[Atomic Weapons Establishment|AWE]] engineer [[Frank Barnaby]],<ref name="barnaby-opinion">{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/barnaby.pdf|title=Expert opinion of Frank Charles Barnaby in the matter of Mordechai Vanunu|author=Frank Barnaby|date=14 June 2004|access-date=16 December 2007}}</ref> who agreed that Vanunu's story was factual and correct. In addition, a reporter, Max Prangnell, was sent to Israel to find people who knew Vanunu and could verify his story.<ref>Hounam, p. 12</ref> Prangnell verified Vanunu's backstory, meeting a few people at Ben-Gurion University who identified Vanunu from a photograph, as well as meeting neighbors and others who confirmed he had worked at the Dimona nuclear plant.<ref>Cohen, Yoel, p. 58</ref>
Vanunu gave detailed descriptions of [[lithium-6]] separation required for the production of [[tritium]], an essential ingredient of [[Nuclear weapon design#Fusion-boosted fission weapons|fusion-boosted fission]] bombs. While both experts concluded that Israel might be making such single-stage boosted bombs, Vanunu, whose work experience was limited to material (not component) production, gave no specific evidence that Israel was making [[Nuclear weapon design#Two-stage thermonuclear weapons|two-stage thermonuclear]] bombs, such as [[Neutron bomb|neutron]] bombs. Vanunu described the [[plutonium]] processing used, giving a production rate of about 30 kg per year, and stated that Israel used about 4 kg per weapon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1086956_1,00.html|title=Focus: The secrets that shocked the world|publisher=The Sunday Times|date=25 April 2004|location=London, UK|access-date=13 May 2010|first1=Francis|last1=Elliott|first2=Deborah|last2=Haynes}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://armscontrolwonk.com/Barnaby.pdf|title=The Nuclear Arsenal in the Middle East|author=Frank Barnaby|journal=Journal of Palestine Studies|volume=17|issue=1|date=1987|pages=97–106|access-date=28 December 2006|doi=10.1525/jps.1987.17.1.00p0146h|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061105132638/http://armscontrolwonk.com/Barnaby.pdf|archive-date=5 November 2006}}</ref> From this information it was possible to estimate that Israel had sufficient plutonium for about 150 nuclear weapons.<ref name="barnaby-opinion"/>
During his stay in Britain, the ''Sunday Times'' initially put Vanunu up in a hotel in London close to the newspaper's premises, but shortly afterward, he was moved to what was considered a safer location: a lodge near [[Welwyn]], in rural [[Hertfordshire]], which was in an obscure location and accessed by a narrow road. Hounam considered it an excellent hiding place.
During one foray into London together with a ''Sunday Times'' journalist, Vanunu encountered an Israeli friend, Yoram Bazak, and his girlfriend Dorit on [[Regent Street]]. They agreed to meet later.<ref>Hounam, p. 19</ref> When they met, Bazak intensely questioned Vanunu on his views towards Israel's defense policy, and during the conversation, Vanunu told Bazak about the possibility of him publicly revealing secrets from Dimona to the British press. Bazak responded with a menacing threat.<ref>Hounam, p. 21</ref>
In September, as the story neared publication, the ''Sunday Times'' approached the Israeli Embassy with the story, offering it a chance to rebut the allegations. The Israeli press attache, [[Eviatar Manor]], was twice visited by journalists to discuss the story, and on the second visit, was handed some of Vanunu's photographs. The material was rushed to Israel for review. The Israeli response denied the allegations, characterizing Vanunu as a minor technician with limited knowledge of the reactor's operations.<ref>Karsh, Efraim: ''Israel: the First Hundred Years: Volume II: From War to Peace?'', p. 146</ref><ref>Hounam, pp. 60-64</ref>▼
Hounam speculated that Vanunu's meeting with Bazak was no mere coincidence and that Bazak had been recruited by Mossad in an attempt to discover Vanunu's motives and try to dissuade him.<ref>Hounam, p. 54</ref> Vanunu later grew bored of rural Hertfordshire and asked for a new location in London, and he was booked in the first hotel he had stayed in under a false name. Hounam speculated that as Oscar Guerrero, who had followed him and Vanunu to London, had already stayed there, Mossad likely had that hotel under surveillance.<ref>Hounam, p. 56</ref>
▲In September, as the story neared publication, the ''Sunday Times'' approached the Israeli
Vanunu states in his letters that he intended to share the money received from the newspaper (for the information) with the [[Anglican Church of Australia]]. Meanwhile, Guerrero, despite having met Hounam and Vanunu at the airport when they arrived in London and receiving an assurance from Hounam that he would get his money, sold the story to the tabloid ''[[The Daily Mirror|Sunday Mirror]]'', whose owner was [[Robert Maxwell]]. In 1991, a self-described former [[Mossad]] officer or government translator named [[Ari Ben-Menashe]] claimed that Maxwell, allegedly an agent for Israeli intelligence services, had tipped off the Israeli Embassy about Vanunu in 1986.<ref>Robert Verkaik [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/the-mystery-of-maxwells-death-469294.html "The mystery of Maxwell's death"]{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''The Independent'', 10 March 2006</ref> In sharing his story with the ''Sunday Mirror'', Guerrero forfeited the agreed-upon payment of $25,000 from ''The Sunday Times''.<ref>Hounam, p. 17</ref>
=== Pursuit and capture by Israeli government ===
The Israeli government decided to capture Vanunu, but determined to avoid harming its good relationship with [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]], and not wanting to risk confrontation with British intelligence,
Through constant surveillance and analysis by Mossad psychologists, the Mossad found that Vanunu had become lonely and eager for female companionship. Masquerading as an American tourist called "Cindy", Israeli Mossad agent [[Cheryl Bentov]] befriended Vanunu, and on 30 September persuaded him to fly to Rome with her on a holiday.<ref name=haretz>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=%20417663&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y |title=Capturing nuclear whistle-blower was 'a lucky stroke,' agents recall|author=Yossi Melman |publisher=Haaretz |date=21 April 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221125605/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=%20417663&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y|archive-date=21 February 2009 }}</ref> This relation has been perceived as a classic [[Clandestine HUMINT asset recruiting#Love, honeypots, and recruitment|honey trap]] operation whereby an intelligence agent employs seduction to gain the target's trust—a practice which has been officially sanctioned in Israel.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Kalman, Matthew|title=Mossad's Seductive 'Honey Trap' Is Kosher, Rabbi Finds|url=http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/04/mossads-seductive-honey-trap-is-kosher-rabbi-finds|work=[[AOL News]]|date=4 October 2010|access-date=30 December 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110113135152/http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/04/mossads-seductive-honey-trap-is-kosher-rabbi-finds/|archive-date=13 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|author= Beam, Christopher |title= The Spy Who Said She Loved Me. Are "honey traps" real?|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2277407|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=9 December 2010|access-date=30 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Sex Condoned for Female Mossad Agents|url=http://www.darkgovernment.com/news/sex-condoned-for-female-mossad-agents|work=Darkgovernment.com|agency=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|date=13 October 2010|access-date=30 December 2010}}</ref> Meanwhile, the Israeli Navy ship INS ''Noga'' was ordered to sail for Italy.<ref>Hounam, p. 78</ref>
The ''Noga'', disguised as a merchant ship, was fitted with electronic surveillance equipment and satellite communications gear in its [[superstructure]], and was primarily used to intercept communications traffic in Arab ports. As the ship was heading from [[Antalya]] in Turkey back to Haifa, the captain was instructed by encrypted message to change course for Italy and anchor off the coast of [[La Spezia]], out of the port in international waters.
Once in Rome, Vanunu and Bentov took a taxi to an apartment in the city's old quarter, where three waiting Mossad operatives overpowered Vanunu and injected him with a paralyzing drug. Later that night, a white van hired by the Israeli embassy arrived, and Vanunu was carried to the vehicle bound to a stretcher. The van drove with Vanunu and the agents to [[La Spezia]]'s dock, where they boarded a waiting speedboat, which reached the waiting ''Noga'' anchored off the coast. The crew of the ''Noga'' were all ordered to assemble
On 7 October, the ship anchored off the coast of Israel between Tel Aviv and Haifa, where it was met by a smaller vessel to which Vanunu was transferred. Vanunu was detained in Israel and interrogated.<ref name=haretz /><ref>Hounam, Peter: ''The woman from Mossad: The story of Mordechai Vanunu & the Israeli nuclear program</ref><ref>Thomas, Gordon: ''Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad'' (2002)</ref> He was detained in a [[Gedera]] prison, in a wing run by Shin Bet.<ref>Cohen, p. 110</ref> On 5 October, the ''Sunday Times'' published the information it had revealed, and estimated that Israel had produced more than 100 nuclear warheads.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709033602/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/article830147.ece|url-status=dead|title=The Times & The Sunday Times|archive-date=9 July 2009|website=www.thetimes.co.uk}}</ref>
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==Trial and imprisonment==
{{BLP sources section|date=March 2017}}
On 6 January 1987, he began a [[hunger strike]] over his prison conditions. During a visit with his brother Asher and in a letter to his brother Meir, he complained, among other things, of being held in [[solitary confinement]] 23 hours a day. When Judy Zimmet traveled to Israel and asked to visit him in prison, prison authorities said they could only meet in the presence of prison officials and with them separated by a glass barrier. Vanunu rejected these conditions, demanding that he be allowed to meet her face to face.<ref>{{
On 30 August 1987, Vanunu's trial opened. He was charged with treason, aggravated espionage, and collection of secret information with intent to impair state security. The trial, held in secret, took place in the Jerusalem District Court before Chief Justice Eliyahu Noam and Judges Zvi Tal and Shalom Brenner. Vanunu was initially represented by Amnon Zichroni, then by [[Avigdor Feldman]], a prominent Israeli civil and human rights lawyer. The prosecutor was Uzi Hasson.<ref>{{
The [[Capital punishment in Israel|death penalty in Israel]] is restricted to special circumstances, and only two executions have ever taken place there. In 2004, former Mossad director [[Shabtai Shavit]] told [[Reuters]] that the option of [[extrajudicial execution]] was considered in 1986, but rejected because "Jews don't do that to other Jews."<ref>{{
During his trial, Vanunu was brought to court wearing a motorcycle helmet to conceal his face. On 1 September 1987, while being brought into court, Vanunu tried to take off his helmet and started shouting in an apparent attempt to talk to the reporters nearby. His guards stopped him using physical force, and police sirens were turned on to drown out his voice.<ref>{{
Peter Hounam and Frank Barnaby both testified as defense witnesses for Vanunu. Before appearing in court, Hounam was warned that he would be arrested if he reported on the proceedings or his own testimony. He was allowed to report that he "gave evidence" regarding his "relationship" with Vanunu.<ref name=":0">
Vanunu served his entire 18 years at [[Shikma Prison]] in [[Ashkelon]],<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/> of which he was held 11 years in imposed solitary confinement, not imposed in Israeli criminal law, neither by specific court instructions to "upgrade" his prison term. On 3 May 1989, he appealed his conviction and sentence to the Israeli Supreme Court and was brought there in a closed police vehicle to the Supreme Court for an appeal hearing.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 May 1989 |title=Vanunu Appeal Opens in Israel As Italians Rally Behind Him |url=https://www.jta.org/1989/05/04/archive/vanunu-appeal-opens-in-israel-as-italians-rally-behind-him |website=JTA.org}}</ref> In 1990, his appeal was rejected.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 May 1990 |title=High Court Rejects Vanunu's Appeal, Will Decide on Publishing Decision |url=https://www.jta.org/1990/05/29/archive/high-court-rejects-vanunus-appeal-will-decide-on-publishing-decision}}</ref> The following year, an appeal to the Supreme Court arguing for better prison conditions was rejected.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 November 1991 |title=Vanunu Loses Bid for Better Conditions |url=https://www.jta.org/1991/11/05/archive/vanunu-loses-bid-for-better-conditions}}</ref> On 12 March 1998, after having spent over eleven years in solitary confinement, Vanunu was released into the general prison population.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 March 1998 |title=Israel ends 12-year solitary |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/65034.stm |work=BBC News |department=WORLD}}</ref>
Many critics argue that Vanunu
==Release, liberties restrictions and asylum applications==
{{multiple issues|section=yes|
{{update-section|date=August 2016}}
{{overly detailed|section|date=February 2024}}
}}
Vanunu was released from prison on 21 April 2004. Surrounded by dozens of journalists and flanked by two of his brothers, he held an impromptu press conference but refused to answer questions in Hebrew because of the suffering he said he sustained at the hands of the State of Israel.
Vanunu said Israel's Mossad spy agency and the [[Shin Bet]] security services tried to rob him of his [[sanity]] by keeping him in solitary confinement. "You didn't succeed to break me, you didn't succeed to make me crazy," he said. Vanunu
Around 200 supporters and a smaller number of counter-demonstrators attended the conference.<ref name="guardian.co.uk"/> He indicated a desire to completely dissociate himself from Israel, initially refusing to speak in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], and planning to move to Europe or the United States<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.serve.com/vanunu/20060113jakarta.html|title=Discussion with a Friend from JAKARTA (letter from Vanunu)|publisher=The Mordechai Vanunu Website|date=13 January 2006|access-date=12 April 2006|archive-date=26 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226114359/https://www.serve.com/vanunu/20060113jakarta.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> as soon as the Israeli government would permit him to do so.
Shortly before his scheduled release, Vanunu remained defiant under interrogation by
Following his release, Vanunu moved to an apartment in [[Jaffa]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-2905585,00.html|script-title=he:המרגל מרדכי ואנונו: "אני גאה ומאושר, אין יותר סודות"|publisher=www.ynet.co.il|trans-title=The spy Mordechai Vanunu: "I am proud and happy, there are no more secrets"|author=Hanan Greenberg|author2=Shmulik Hadad|newspaper=Ynet |date=21 April 2004|language=he}}</ref> After the address was published in the media, he decided to live in [[St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem|St. George's Cathedral]] in [[Jerusalem]]. He regularly receives visitors and
A number of prohibitions were placed upon Vanunu after his release from jail and are still in force:
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On 22 April 2004, Vanunu asked the government of Norway for a [[Norwegian passport]] and [[refugee|asylum]] in the country for "humanitarian reasons", according to Norwegian media. He also sent applications to other countries, and stated that he would accept asylum in any country because he fears for his life.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}
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While the Norwegian foreigner directorate (State Department) (UDI) had been prepared to grant Vanunu asylum, it was suddenly decided that the application could not be accepted because Vanunu had applied for it from outside of the borders of Norway. An unclassified document revealed that Solberg and the government considered that extracting Vanunu from Israel might be seen as an action against Israel and thereby unfitting the Norwegian government's traditional role as a friend of Israel and as a political player in the Middle East. Since the information has been revealed, Solberg has rejected criticism and defended her decision.<ref name="vg.no">{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/norsk-politikk/artikkel.php?artid=531398|title=Erna Solberg hindret Vanunu i å få asyl - VG Nett|publisher=Vg.no|access-date=20 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630013226/http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/norsk-politikk/artikkel.php?artid=531398 |archive-date=30 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/midtosten/artikkel.php?artid=531446|title=Vanunu: - Håper Norge angrer asyl-avslaget - VG Nett|publisher=Vg.no|access-date=20 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630013226/http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/midtosten/artikkel.php?artid=531446|archive-date=30 June 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/midtosten/artikkel.php?artid=531497|title=Vanunu-venner i harnisk - VG Nett|publisher=Vg.no|access-date=20 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630013226/http://www.vg.no/nyheter/utenriks/midtosten/artikkel.php?artid=531497|archive-date=30 June 2009}}</ref>
Vanunu's application for asylum in Sweden was
In 2006, [[Amnesty International]]'s British branch chief, [[Kate Allen (Amnesty International)|Kate Allen]], wrote that [[Microsoft]] handed over the details of Vanunu's [[Hotmail]] email account
International calls for his freedom of movement and freedom of speech made by organizations supporting Vanunu have been either ignored or rejected by Israel. On 15 May 2008, the "Norwegian Lawyer's Petition for Vanunu" was released, signed by 24 Norwegian attorneys. It calls on the Norwegian government to urgently implement a three-point action plan "within the framework of international and Norwegian law" and allow Vanunu to travel to, live and work in Norway. On 11 October 2010, his appeal to rescind the restrictions and allow him to leave Israel and speak to foreigners was denied by the Israeli Supreme Court.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salem-news.com/articles/october112010/beyond-nuclear.php|title=Israel Denies Vanunu's Freedom Again |publisher=Salem-News.Com|access-date=20 November 2010}}</ref>
In March 2015, Vanunu established an Indiegogo campaign to raise the $10,000.00 that he was ordered to pay the Israeli newspaper ''[[Yedioth Ahronoth]]'', when Israel's Court ruled against Vanunu's libel suit against the publication for a November 1999 article. ''Yedioth Ahronoth'''s headline read: "Vanunu gave Hamas activists information on bomb assembly in prison" and a second
On 7 May 2015,
On 3 June 2015, Minister [[Vidar Helgesen]] said Norway had asked Israel to abolish the restrictions against Vanunu leaving Israel for humanitarian considerations. [[Centre Party (Norway)|Centre Party]] foreign policy spokesman [[Liv Signe Navarsete|Navarsete]] stated, "I would urge the government to make a
In September 2015,
On 12 August 2015,
On 2 September 2015, Vanunu granted his first interview to
On 23 December 2015, Vanunu wrote: "Freedom of speech and Freedom of movement. 2016 Freedom year" in an update to his 30 October 2015 statement regarding his 8th Supreme Court Appeal. On 30 October Vanunu wrote: "I had a court hearing on 26 October 2015. We appealed all the restrictions. I even spoke to the Judges. They gave to the police 90 days to end their investigation for the last arrest, after that they will decide."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thearabdailynews.com/2015/12/23/mordechai-vanunus-christmas-update-and-thirty-year-wait-for-freedom-from-israel|title=Mordechai Vanunu's Christmas Update and Thirty-year Wait for Freedom from Israel|date=23 December 2015|publisher=thearabdailynews.com|access-date=7 December 2016}}</ref>
On 24 February 2016, Vanunu tweeted his latest news regarding Israel's Supreme Court which has ordered the Prosecution to respond no later than 21 April 2016 regarding Vanunu's
On 30 January 2017, Vanunu wrote on Facebook that the three Supreme Court judges were to rule "in a few weeks" regarding his latest appeal seeking to end all restrictions against him so that he can leave Israel. As of 3 March 2017, the last Vanunu wrote on Facebook: "Vanunu Mordechai February 15 at 11:52 am ·We are now waiting for the Supreme court decision, it could be any time soon. And it could be good or nothing, so I am used to all this for 31 years,1986-2017. Freedom Must come."<ref>{{cite news|author=Eileen Fleming |url=http://thearabdailynews.com/2017/03/03/israels-nuclear-weapons-senator-schumer-fourth-estate/ |title=Israel's Nuclear Weapons, Senator Schumer The Fourth Estate and Vanunu Mordechai #Vanunu |newspaper=The Arab Daily News|access-date=4 March 2017}}</ref>
On 2 June 2019, Vanunu reported at his Facebook Wall, "that for the 16th year, after 18 years behind bars" Israel renewed the restrictions against Vanunu "not to meet foreigners, not leave the country".<ref>{{Cite web |
On 3 December 2019, Israel's Supreme Court dismissed Vanunu's latest petition seeking to end the restraining orders against "his freedom" and "privacy" citing "a concern about the probability of closeness to the certainty that if the restrictions imposed on Vanunu are removed, he will act to publish this [relevant confidential] information."<ref>
On 1 June 2020, Vanunu reported on [[Twitter]]: “They renew all the restrictions for one more year, from June 2020 to June 2021...I will continue to post every month".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fleming |first1=Eileen |title=Annual Update for Vanunu Mordechai, Israel's nuclear whistleblower and Captive |url=https://thearabdailynews.com/2020/06/06/annual-update-for-vanunu-mordechai-israels-nuclear-whistleblower-and-captive/ |access-date=15 August 2020 |work=The Arab Daily News |date=6 June 2020}}</ref>
==Arrests and hearings==
{{overly detailed|section|date=February 2024}}
Yossi Melman, an Israeli journalist, wrote in the Israeli newspaper ''[[Haaretz]]'' "Vanunu's harassment by the Israeli government is unprecedented and represents a distortion of every accepted legal norm."<ref name="haaretz.com"/> Vanunu was denied parole at a hearing in May 1998.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/87850.stm|date=4 May 1998|title=Vanunu denied parole|publisher=BBC|access-date=5 October 2008}}</ref> Five years later, parole was again refused. At this parole hearing, Vanunu's lawyer Avigdor Feldman maintained that his client had no more secrets and should be freed.
After the hearing, Feldman said, "The prosecutor said that if Vanunu were released, the Americans would probably leave Iraq and go after Israel and Israel's nuclear weapons - which I found extremely ridiculous." The real force blocking Vanunu's release, who had been known only as "Y", was exposed in 2001 as Yehiyel Horev, the head of [[Mossad]]'s nuclear and military secrets branch.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/correspondent/2841377.stm|date=16 March 2003|title=Israeli nuclear 'power' exposed|publisher=BBC|access-date=5 October 2008|first=Olenka|last=Frenkiel}}</ref>
Following his release in 2004, Vanunu appeared in Israeli courts on numerous occasions on charges of having violated the terms of his release. He was arrested and detained for attempting to go to Bethlehem. On at least one occasion his room in [[St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem|St. George's Cathedral]] was raided by
Yehiel Horev, the strictest of all the security chiefs in Israel, especially in regard to the protection of institutions such as the [[Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center]] and the [[Israel Institute for Biological Research]], is apprehensive that if Vanunu goes abroad, he will continue to be a nuisance by stimulating the public debate over Israel's nuclear policy and the [[nuclear weapons]] he says Israel possesses. This is the secret that it is claimed has not yet been told in the affair: the story of the security fiasco that made it possible for Vanunu to do what he did, and the story of subsequent attempts to cover-up, whitewash and protect senior figures in the defense establishment, who were bent on divesting themselves of responsibility for the failure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.salem-news.com/articles/november052010/all-things-nuclear-ef.php|title=All Things Nuclear Must Pass: US, Israel and Iran|publisher=Salem-News.Com|access-date=20 November 2010}}</ref>
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On 9 April 2008, unclassified documents revealed that the Norwegian [[Bondevik's Second Cabinet]] (19 October 2001 – 17 October 2005) denied Vanunu asylum in 2004 as a supportive gesture to Israel.<ref name="vg.no"/>
On 13 May that year, Vanunu wrote that although three judges had attempted to convince the Government Lawyer to offer community service in East Jerusalem, it had been denied. Vanunu's appeal against his six-month jail sentence was set to resume on 8 July 2008<ref>{{cite
On 15 May 2008, the Norwegian Lawyer's Petition called upon the Norwegian government to urgently implement a three-point action plan within the framework of international and Norwegian law, to grant Vanunu asylum and permission to work and stay in Norway.
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On 11 May 2010, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Vanunu would "serve a three-month jail sentence handed to him by Jerusalem District Court and not community service" which would begin 23 May 2010.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}
Vanunu had been sentenced to community service but stated his refusal to perform community service in west Jerusalem, claiming that he would be in danger of being assaulted by a member of the Israeli public
Eleven days earlier, [[Amnesty International]] had released a press release following the announcement of this sentence: "If Mordechai Vanunu is imprisoned again, Amnesty International will declare him to be a prisoner of conscience and call for his immediate and unconditional release."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/israeli-government-urged-not-jail-nuclear-whistleblower-again-2010-05-12|title=Israeli government urged not to jail nuclear whistleblower again|publisher=Amnesty International|date=12 May 2010}}</ref>
On 24 May 2010, Vanunu began serving his three-month prison sentence.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/10145852.stm Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu jailed], BBC World News, 24 May 2010.</ref> On 18 June, it was reported that Vanunu had been placed in solitary confinement.<ref name=AImay2010>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/israeli-nuclear-whistleblower-returned-solitary-confinement-2010-06-18|title=Israeli nuclear whistleblower returned to solitary confinement|publisher=Amnesty.org|date=17 June 2010|access-date=20 November 2010}}</ref> Vanunu was released from prison on 8 August.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vanunu.com|title=Vanunu Mordechai J.C. - I Am Your Spy|publisher=Vanunu.com|access-date=20 November 2010}}</ref>
On 14 July 2011, Vanunu appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court to instruct Interior Minister [[Eli Yishai]] to revoke his Israeli citizenship, claiming that "the Israeli street" and media were treating him belligerently, and that he could "no longer find his place in Israeli society", and that despite his release from prison, "the State of Israel continues to
Vanunu's appeal noted an amendment to the Citizenship Act which allowed the Interior Minister to revoke his citizenship even if he did not hold another one
On 31 August 2011, Vanunu wrote: "The court hearing about the restrictions, not to speak to foreigners, not to leave Israel will be on Oct' 3 [it is possible the date can be changed]. About canceling my Israel citizenship, we are waiting to hear from the Interior minister or we will have one more court hearing."<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/vanunuvmjc|title=Vanunu Mordechai|work=YouTube|access-date=15 June 2015}}</ref>
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On 6 June that year, the High Court of Justice denied Vanunu's petition to renounce his Israeli citizenship. Vanunu said, "I want them to revoke my citizenship so that I can begin my life."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4239151,00.html|title=Court denies nuke spy Vanunu's petition to renounce cititzenship|work=ynetnews.com|date=6 June 2012|access-date=7 June 2012}}</ref>
Vanunu was arrested on 23 April 2015, but it was not reported until six days later, when his attorney Michael Sfard posted on his Facebook page, "Vanunu was in a bookstore near the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem where he met two tourists and to the amazement of the store's customers, it was raided by seven border
On 25 September 2015, Vanunu reported "Sep. 10- Nine policemen come to my home with a search warrant and arrest warrant, they took all my digitale [sic
On 30 October, Vanunu reported regarding his 8th Supreme Court Appeal, "I had a court hearing on [October 26, 2015]. We appealed all the restrictions. I even spoke to the Judges. They gave the police 90 days to end their investigation for the last arrest, after that they will decide. Without Freedom of Speech and without Freedom of Movement in Israel, now without my Computers and iPhone since Sep. 2015."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thearabdailynews.com/2015/11/01/israel-can-free-mordechai-vanunu-in-90-days|title=Israel Must Free Mordechai Vanunu in 90 Days|work=The Arab Daily News|date=1 November 2015}}</ref>
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Vanunu wrote the poem "I'm Your Spy" early during the first eleven and a half years he was held in strict isolation.<ref name="vanunu.org">[http://www.vanunu.org/ Vanunu.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215085252/http://www.vanunu.org/ |date=15 February 2020 }}. Fighting for a Secure Israel and a World Free of Nuclear Weapons; retrieved 28 July 2009.</ref>
Vanunu received the [[Right Livelihood Award]] in 1987.<ref>{{cite web |title=For his courage and self-sacrifice in revealing the extent of Israel's nuclear weapons programme. |url=https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/mordechai-vanunu/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221105943/https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/mordechai-vanunu/ |archive-date=2023-02-21 }}</ref> He was given an [[honorary doctorate]] by the [[University of Tromsø]] in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |title=Honorary Doctoral Degrees |url=https://en.uit.no/om/aresdoktorar |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221105246/https://en.uit.no/om/aresdoktorar |archive-date=2023-02-21}}</ref>
In March 2009, Vanunu wrote to the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Oslo:
{{blockquote|I am asking the committee to remove my name from the list for this year's list of nominations. I cannot be part of a list of laureates that includes [[Shimon Peres]], the [[President of Israel]]. He is the man who was behind all the Israeli atomic policy. Peres established and developed the atomic weapon program in Dimona in Israel.
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In September 2004, Vanunu received the [[LennonOno Grant for Peace]], a peace prize founded by artist and musician [[Yoko Ono]] in memory of [[John Lennon]], her late husband.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}
In December 2004, he was elected by the students of the [[University of Glasgow]] to serve for three years as [[Rector of the University of Glasgow|Rector]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4100119.stm|title=Vanunu elected university rector|date=16 December 2004|publisher=BBC}}</ref> On 22 April 2005, he was formally installed in the post but could not carry out any of its functions as he was still confined to Israel. ''[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]'' newspaper launched a campaign for his release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH1072&type=P|title=Biography of Mordechai Vanunu|website=Universitystory.gla.ac.uk|date=26 February 2013|access-date=4 March 2017|archive-date=4 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304192950/http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH1072&type=P|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2005 he received the Peace Prize of the Norwegian People (''Folkets fredspris'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peacepeople.com/2005/norwegian.html|title=Norwegian Peace Prize for Mordechai Vanunu|date=5 April 2005|publisher=The Peace People|access-date=26 February 2011|quote=Mordechai Vanunu has been awarded the Norwegian People's Peace Prize for 2005 for his
On 21 September 2010, the Teach Peace Foundation
On 4 October 2010, the [[International League for Human Rights]] announced that Vanunu was awarded the [[Carl von Ossietzky Medal]] for 2010<ref>{{cite web|author=Eileen Fleming |url=http://www.arabisto.com/article/Blogs/Eileen_Fleming/Mordechai_Vanunus_Press_Release/84207|title=Mordechai Vanunu and the 2010 Carl-von-Ossietzky-Medal|publisher=Arabisto|access-date=20 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707155316/http://www.arabisto.com/article/Blogs/Eileen_Fleming/Mordechai_Vanunus_Press_Release/84207|archive-date=7 July 2011}}</ref> and, on 16 November, sent [[open letter]]s to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister [[Ehud Barak]] and Interior Minister Eli Yishai, seeking Vanunu's free departure out of Israel to allow him to receive the medal at the Award Ceremony in Berlin on 12 December 2010.<ref>Melman, Yossi [http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/nobel-laureates-urge-israel-to-let-vanunu-receive-int-l-rights-award-1.325707 Nobel laureates urge Israel to let Vanunu receive int'l rights award] at Haaretz, 20 November 2010.</ref> Nobel laureates cited as co-signatories to the letter include [[Mairead Maguire]], [[Günter Grass]], [[Harold W. Kroto]] and [[Jack Steinberger]].
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The request was refused and the 12 December Berlin medal ceremony was restyled as a protest event in support of Vanunu and nuclear disarmament. On this occasion, a musical composition, ''The Dove'',<ref>[http://www.ilmr.de/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/The_Dove.pdf The Dove, Komposition für Mordechai Vanunu] at ilmr.de</ref> was dedicated to Vanunu and given its premiere performance.<ref>[http://blip.tv/file/4515188 The Dove for Mordechai Vanunu" (Wolfram Beyer & I felici)] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707055221/http://blip.tv/file/4515188|date=7 July 2012}}</ref>
On 19 May 2015, Vanunu married Norwegian
==See also==
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[[Category:20th-century Moroccan Jews]]
[[Category:Israeli people of the Yom Kippur War]]
[[Category:Political prisoners in Israel]]
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