Amnesty ME Director: Vanunu Is a Prisoner of Conscience

London-based rights group Amnesty International criticized "Israel" for sending nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu back to prison.

AFP quoted Amnesty's Middle East program director Malcolm Smart saying, "Mordechai Vanunu should not be in prison at all, let alone be held in solitary confinement in a unit intended for violent criminals."

Vanunu, 55 years old, was released from prison on probation in 2004, after serving an 18-year sentence, but was later arrested several times for the charge of violating terms of his release.

In 1986, Vanunu was charged of exposing details about "Israel's" nuclear program and military activities at the Dimona nuclear facility.

This provided convincing evidence that "Israel" possessed a nuclear arsenal.

Recently, an "Israeli" court said he had to either perform community service or go back to prison for allegedly meeting with a foreign national.

He was forced to serve time when the "Israeli" Supreme Court refused his request to perform the compulsory labor in East Al Quds (Jerusalem), to avoid the risk of being harassed by "Israelis".

Smart said, "Mordechai Vanunu is a prisoner of conscience."

"He suffered immensely when he was held in solitary confinement for 11 years after his imprisonment in 1986 and to return him to such conditions now is nothing less than cruel, inhuman or degrading," he added.

Amnesty ME Director considered, "His re-imprisonment is both harsh and unjustified".

The "Israeli" newspaper Ha'aretz quoted Vanunu before going to prison saying, "Everyone knows that "Israel" has nuclear weapons... but no one is talking about it."