Court clears Vanunu of travel breach

Nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu did not violate a government-imposed ban on foreign travel by entering Palestinian Authority territory, an Israeli court has ruled.

Mordechai Vanunu spent 18 years in an Israeli jail

The court also asked the state to submit an amended indictment against Vanunu within a month, his lawyer Avigdor Feldman said on Monday.

 

Vanunu was released from prison last year, after serving an 18-year term for treason, for spilling Israel‘s nuclear secrets. The conditions of his release included a ban on foreign travel and meetings with foreign reporters.

 

Two months ago, he was indicted on charges he violated those restrictions.

 

In a ruling on Sunday, Jerusalem Magistrate Yoel Tzur said the West Bank and Gaza Strip cannot be considered outside Israel because they can be reached without a passport or visa.

 

He also told prosecutors to be more specific about Vanunu’s alleged violations of a ban on meeting foreign journalists.

 

Source: AFP