World press body calls on Israel to stop harassing nuclear whistleblower
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Brussels, Jan 25, IRNA
IFJ-Israel-Vanunu
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called Tuesday for an end to official harassment of Mordechai Vanunu, the man who told the world that Israel possessed nuclear weapons as Israeli judges moved to send him back to jail for speaking to journalists.
Vanunu will appear in court Wednesday charged with violating restrictions that prevent him leaving the country and ban him from speaking to foreigners. If found guilty, he could be jailed for nine months on a total of 21 criminal counts, noted an IFJ statement.
"This man has served his time for revealing what everyone has known for many years," said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary.
"Now he is being harassed simply for talking to journalists. He is being intimidated by absurd and unjust restrictions that have no place in a democracy. This case must be reviewed and the legal restrictions on him should be lifted."
Vanunu has challenged limitations imposed upon him in April 2004 upon his release from jail in which he served 18 years, most of it in isolation.
He was prohibited from leaving Israel or speaking to non-Israeli citizens. Earlier this month, his lawyers failed to get the restrictions lifted by the Israeli Supreme Court.
Since leaving jail, Vanunu has lived at the Pilgrims' Hostel of the Anglican cathedral in Jerusalem. He says he has a right to speak out and has no additional information that would compromise state security.
The IFJ says that as well as lifting restrictions on Vanunu, Israel should "face up to the truth about its place in the democratic world."
Protection for whistleblowers like Vanunu is vital to free expression, says the IFJ, which is campaigning for greater protection for journalists' sources of information.
The Brussels-based IFJ is the world's biggest journalists' organization representing over 500,000 journalists in more than 110 countries.
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