Israel Moves to Muzzle Nuclear Whistleblower

At a preliminary court hearing, Israeli whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu declined to enter a plea on twenty-one charges that he spoke with U.S., British, Australian and French journalists. After revealing the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons program to the U.K. newspaper the Sunday Times in 1986, Vanunu was imprisoned for eighteen years. He was released on April 21, 2004, subject to draconian restrictions on his ability to travel or speak to reporters about Israel's weapons of mass destruction. "As a human being, I have the right to express my political views and my ideas. I have no more secrets," he told reporters outside the courtroom Tuesday. The next hearing is scheduled for May 19.