Vanunu Again Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

For his "personal sacrifice and struggle against nuclear weapons in general, and the Israeli nuclear program in particular," imprisoned whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has been nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. 1976 Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire wrote to the Nobel Institute in Norway in January, coupling her nomination with a public call for his immediate release from prison.

Maguire wrote, in part, "from the silence of his lonely cell in Ashkelon Prison, Israel, his spirit reaches around the world, giving each of us new courage and hope and a desire to recommit ourselves to disarmament and peacemaking. We are all deeply indebted and thankful for the witness and sacrifice of Vanunu and he is not forgotten by millions of men and women who will tell their children of his courage, and will themselves remain grateful to him for his love and personal sacrifice on behalf of humanity."