THE CAMPAIGN FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT TO NAME NATIONAL OFFICE 'MORDECHAI VANUNU HOUSE'

27 October 2004 -The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) will pay tribute to the bravery of Israel's Nuclear Whistleblower when it names its national office Mordechai Vanunu House this Saturday. The naming ceremony will take place at 5.30pm on Saturday 30th October at 162 Holloway Road, North London.

Peace and anti-war campaigners will come together for the ceremony which will include speeches from Kate Hudson, Chair of CND, Bruce Kent, Vice President CND, Paul Oestreicher, Vice President CND, a toast to Vanunu and music from Velvet Fist.

Mordechai Vanunu was a technician at Dimona, Israel's nuclear installation and was imprisoned for 18 years, for revealing Israel's nuclear weapons programme. 11 years were spent in solitary confinement.

Vanunu was released from prison in April 2004. He has not been allowed to leave the country and his freedom has remained restricted, with Israeli authorities forbidding him from speaking to foreigners.

Despite this he recently spoke to hundreds of people at the European Social Forum at Alexandra Palace in London via a live telephone link up.

Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: "Mordechai Vanunu is an inspiration. He took a stand for peace and for the safety of the world. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is paying tribute to his bravery by naming our national office after him. Eighteen years after Vanunu revealed Israel's nuclear weapons programme to the world Israel is still allowed to neither confirm nor deny its nuclear arsenal, despite having an estimated 200 nuclear warheads. This situation exacerbates instability in the region and allows the Israeli government to wriggle out of compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty. "

Bruce Kent, Vice President CND, said: "Vanunu is a very brave man and I'm delighted he's been honoured in this way."

In a message to the European Social Forum this month Mordechai Vanunu said: "Our task today is to continue our struggle against nuclear weapons, to make the world free of nuclear weapons, reduce military production, reduce the army in every state, reduce the defence budgets and to make the society much more united by one good standard of human rights and freedom, abolish boundaries between states, countries, with freedom of movement for human beings, free trade and economic connection between all states, freedom of movement of knowledge to help every state move towards this age. One world, one human race, one freedom, free from nuclear weapons, living and succeeding in peace. One global village!"