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Rayna Moss reports from Israel:
Mordechai Vanunu was denied parole on February 16 by a court in Beersheeba, Israel, after repeated delays and a protracted hearing of his application. Vanunu, the Israeli nuclear whistleblower kidnapped by the Mossad in 1986 and convicted in secret of espionage and treason, will now complete his entire 18 year sentence in prison. He is scheduled to be released in April, 2004.
There is little doubt among Vanunu's supporters in Israel, that the court's ruling, while partially an act of vindictiveness by the security establishment, is mostly motivated by the Israeli government's fear, that Vanunu's release at the time would inevitably lead to increased international attention to Israel's weapons of mass destruction. Like other states, Israel maintains facilities for manufacturing nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. It also has a huge stockpile of nuclear weapons. Yet the country has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and refuses to allow any independent inspection of its facilities.
Despite the court's disappointing ruling the next day, Vanunu's message was present February 15 at the historic 3,000-strong anti-war demonstration in Tel-Aviv. Several demonstrators held placards reading: "Blix, come to Israel" "U.N.: Inspect Dimona; Disarm Israel" and "We also have Weapons of Mass Destruction". Of the four people who were arrested at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. on September 30 calling for Vanunu's freedom, three had their charges dismissed after being told their arresting officers were not present at the December 12 trial. Art Laffin made a motion for acquittal based on failure to prove the case, which the judge granted.
For more information, contact the U.S. Campaign to Free Mordechai Vanunu, POB 43384, Tucson, AZ 85733, email: freevanunu@mindspring.com, web: www.nonviolence.org/vanunu
Please send a message of support to Mordechai Vanunu, Ashkelon Prison, Ashkelon, Israel.
