Vanunu Released From Prison

Mordechai Vanunu was released from prison on April 21, 18 years after his arrest for revealing secrets about Israel’s nuclear weapons program. Vanunu offered details and pictures of Israel’s Diamona nuclear reactor to The Sunday Times in 1986, undermining Israel’s policy of “nuclear ambiguity” and leading analysts to conclude that Israel possessed between 100 and 200 nuclear weapons. Before the article was published, he was abducted in Rome by Mossad and convicted of treason in Israel in a closed trial.

Upon his release, Vanunu said he was proud of his actions and condemned his treatment in prison, where he spent more than 11 years in solitary confinement. He called on Israel to open up the Diamona nuclear reactor to international inspections, saying Israel has no need for nuclear weapons.

Fearing that he would reveal further secrets, the Israeli government placed severe restrictions on Vanunu following his release, forbidding him from leaving the country, restricting his movements within Israel, and limiting his foreign contacts. Vanunu said he had no more secrets to reveal.