Why does Israel keep this man from leaving that country and why is he not allowed to speak to anyone outside Israel? Mordechai Vanunu

Mordechai Vanunu, born 14 October 1954), also known as John Crossman, is an Israeli former nuclear technician and peace activist who, citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the British press in 1986.

He was subsequently lured to Italy by a Mossad agent, where he was drugged and abducted by Israeli intelligence agents.

He was transported to Israel and ultimately convicted in a trial that was held behind closed doors.


Vanunu spent 18 years in prison, including more than 11 in solitary confinement. Released from prison in 2004, he became subject to a broad array of restrictions on his speech and movement. Since then he has been arrested several times for violations of those restrictions, including giving various interviews to foreign journalists and attempting to leave Israel.


He says he suffered "cruel and barbaric treatment" at the hands of Israeli authorities while imprisoned, and suggests that his treatment would have been different if he had not converted to Christianity from Judaism