[E-rundbrief] Info 938 - Mordechai Vanunu in Israeli prison - Freedom-Appeal

Matthias Reichl info at begegnungszentrum.at
Di Jul 20 11:11:41 CEST 2010


E-Rundbrief - Info 938 - Mairead Maguire (Irland): Open Letter of Appeal
to the Jewish people (to free Mordechai Vanunu from Israeli prison).

Bad Ischl, 20.7.2010

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

================================================

Open Letter of Appeal to the Jewish people

Dear Friends,

  I write to ask for your help in gaining the freedom of a good man,
a man of peace, and a man of conscience.

In the Jewish scriptures there is great emphasis on justice and freedom
and it is for such, for one man, that I write to seek your help.

He will not be aware that I am writing this Appeal, but I do so in the hope
that, with your help,  it will produce his freedom, and not (and this I
must risk) cause yet more punishment and cruelty to be  inflicted upon him.

However, I feel when I tell you the story, it will touch your hearts and
there will be those amongst you who will be able to help him gain his
freedom.

In May,2010, this man was returned to prison to serve three months for
allegedly breaking his prison release restrictions and speaking to
Foreign Media.   On Sunday llth July,2010, he had  his first visit in
seven weeks.   His brother, Meir, was granted a 30 minute visit.  There
was  a glass window between them and they spoke via the phone.  He wore
a prison uniform.  He is held in the hardest prison section there is in
the prison.  It has the most notorious criminals in the country, well
known hard murder cases.  All about a dozen are in severe isolation
conditions.  He is in a cell by himself for 24 hours a day, no window
but a small wire covered crack at the top part of one wall.  He has
about an hour’s walk a day in a very tiny yard.  He was simply thrown in
a cell by the security agents, the door locked, and left to suffer there
all alone.  He has not spoken to anyone in all the seven weeks and this
visit was (apart from a short visit of his lawyer 6 weeks ago) the first
conversation he had in seven weeks.  His food is limited in quality and
quantity, and his reading material two books he has with him.  Of course
his spirits are down as a result of being put in such harsh, inhuman and
cruel conditions.

His name is Mordechai Vanunu, and he is in an Israeli prison cell.
Mordechai is no stranger to prison.  In l986 Mordechai Vanunu told the
world that Israel had a Nuclear Weapons Programme and he was given 18
years imprisonment for doing so.  He is the Israeli Nuclear whistle
blower and 24 years later continues to be punished for trying to warn
the Israelis and protect both Israel and the world from a Nuclear
weapons disaster. Mordechai Vanunu served the full 18 years of his
sentence (eleven years in solitary ) and upon release, instead of
allowing him to leave Israel, the Israeli Government put  severe
restrictions upon him, including forbidding him to leave Israel and not
to speak to foreign media.  It was the allegedly breaking of these
restrictions and speaking to Foreign media, which resulted in Mordechai
being returned to prison for 3 months. He has  6 weeks left to serve in
these harsh prison conditions, and even upon release from prison will
still have to remain in Israel until next April, 2011 when the
restrictions will be reviewed and probably renewed yet again, as they
have been renewed each year for the past 6 years. Some people say Vanunu
will never be allowed to leave Israel but will die there, if indeed in
the meantime his spirit is not broken by his ill treatment and he losses
his sanity. The Shabak continues to tell the Israeli Government he is a
security risk and must not be released and the Israeli Judiciary and
Government obey them and keep him imprisoned. Vanunu is no risk to Israeli
National Security.  He has no nuclear Secrets.  I have asked some
Israelis why they think Israel refuses to allow Mordechai Vanunu to
leave Israel.   Various reasons are given but the most frequent answer
is they feel the Israeli Government does not trust its citizens and
holding Mordechai Vanunu, forever, if necessary sends out the signal to
Israeli Citizens to behave themselves.

It seems, if this is so, that the strategy is working.  To date only a
few courageous Jewish people have raised their voices against such
cruelty and injustice perpetrated upon Mordechai, and called for him to
be allowed to leave Israel.  But I don’t believe Mordechai will never be
allowed to leave Israeli and will die in Jerusalem.   I have met
Mordechai many times since he was released from prison on 2lst April,
2004.   He is a good man, a man of peace, and a true Gandhian  spirit.
Instead of punishing him, Israel should be proud of Mordechai Vanunu,
and I believe that future generations of Israelis will look back and
realize that there lived amongst them a great visionary and man of
peace, not only for Israel, but for the human family.  It was with great
joy I nominated him several times for the Nobel Peace Prize, as did many
other prominent names during the past 24 years.  He richly serves the
NPP as he lives and acts in the true spirit of Alfred Nobel, who left
his prize for those who would work for peace and disarmament.

However, it is with the deepest sadness that I acknowledge that in spite
of world campaigns by many, including Amnesty International (and
personal letters from myself  to President Obama, President Shimon
Peres,) Mordechai Vanunu continues 24 years later to be most cruelly
imprisoned and punished by Israel.   Most  Political and Spiritual
leaders, and International Bodies,  of our time are silent in the face
of Israel’s abuse of Vanunu’s basic human right to freedom of speech and
liberty, which is in violation of many International Laws.

However, I have hope that he will be free and I place my hope in those
Jewish people who read this story and are moved to right a wrong
continuing to be done to Mordechai Vanunu,  and they will demand that
their Government give him his freedom, and allow him to leave Israel.

Shalom,
Mairead Maguire
Nobel Peace Laureate
www.peacepeople.com
14.7.2010

-- 

Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
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