Vanunu - facing restrictions
Photo: Gil Yochanan
Restrictions on Vanunu extended
Officials decide to extend limitations faced by nuclear whistleblower by another year
The restrictions on nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu's release conditions have been extended by another year, Israel's leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.
The decision to extend the limits was taken by the IDF's Home Front Command chief after consulting with Attorney General Menachem Mazuz.
Authorities based their decision on security assessments as well as a High Court of Justice ruling handed down several months ago that rejected Vanunu's petition against the limits he has faced since being released from prison.
According to the court ruling, the danger the nuclear whistleblower would relay classified information about the Dimona reactor where he worked to foreigners remains intact. The court said Vanunu can be monitored as long as he is in Israel and facing restrictions.
No online chats
The High Court ruled that Vanunu's long incarceration did not change his desire to expose more classified information about Israel's nuclear reactor. Judges were convinced that the information possessed by Vanunu could undermine fundamental Israeli security interests.
The nuclear whistleblower is not allowed to leave Israel and therefore cannot be issued a passport. He is also facing restrictions on movement within Israel, and must inform the police in advance regarding any change of address or any intention to spend the night at a location that is not his home.
Vanunu is also not allowed to stay within 500 meters (about 1,500 feet) of several sites such as Ben Gurion International Airport, seaports, and the West Bank. He is also forbidden from entering, without prior permit, any foreign diplomatic missions in Israel or maintain any contacts with foreigners.
Vanunu is also banned from chatting on the Internet.
