Israel : Vanunu and the Bomb

A 2007 BBC Docudrama about Mordechai Vanunu.

He was a nuclear technician who worked at the top secret Dimona facility in Israel. ;; Citing his opposition to weapons of mass destruction, he revealed details of Israel's nuclear weapons program at Dimona to the British press in 1986.

Vanunu had made the discovery after 7-years at the plant and had photos to prove his story. In 1986 he reveals to journalists Oscar Guerrero and Peter Hounam, the presence of an underground plutonium plant there. Hounam took Vanunu to The Sunday Times in London, where Nuclear Physicist Frank Barnaby confirmed the data.

He was subsequently lured to Italy by a female Mossad agent, where he was drugged and kidnapped 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 years 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.

Amnesty International issued a press release on 2 July 2007, stating that "The organisation considers Mordechai Vanunu to be a prisoner of conscience and calls for his immediate and unconditional release."

Regarded by peace activists as a hero for taking a stand against weapons proliferation, Vanunu has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize many times.

“He exposed the West’s opposition to nuclear proliferation as little more than a sham. Vanunu is banned from talking to foreign media. Based on eyewitness testimony, this film Vanunu and the Bomb, is his story”.

—Sean Pertwee's opening narration

60 min