Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
After being arrested by Israeli secret service agents "on suspicion of having arranged a television interview with Mordechai Vanunu in violation of state gagging orders," British journalist Peter Hounam was released today. Hounam was in Israel working on a BBC documentary about Vanunu, a former nuclear technician turned whistleblower. In 1986, Hounam's reporting "helped to reveal Israel's nuclear secrets," after Vanunu came forward with weapons programs information. Vanunu, who was recently released after serving an 18 year prison sentence, called the reporter's detention "a farce"; one Israeli opposition legislator called it "dangerous for democracy." Reporters Without Borders stated: "This arrest and the blackout that followed it are serious violations of press freedom."
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