Nuclear whistleblower freed after 18 years
The former nuclear technician said he was proud of his actions, but complained of cruel treatment.
Mr Vanunu flashed victory signs and waved to hundreds of cheering supporters as he walked into the sun-splashed courtyard of Shikma Prison in the coastal town of Ashkelon. Dozens of counter-demonstrators booed and shouted abuse.
In the courtyard, the 50-year-old held an impromptu news conference, his brother Meir by his side. Mr Vanunu said he was given "very cruel and barbaric treatment" by Israel's security services.
"To all those who are calling me traitor, I am saying I am proud, I am proud and happy to do what I did," Mr Vanunu said in accented and at times broken English. He refused to answer questions in Hebrew because of restrictions Israel has imposed on him, including a ban on speaking to foreigners.
Mr Vanunu, who converted to Christianity in the 1980s, said he was mistreated because of his religion.
He also said there was no need for a Jewish state and demanded that Israel open its nuclear reactor in Dimona to international inspection. He added that Israel has no need of nuclear arms "especially now that all the Middle East is free from nuclear weapons".
He left the prison in a grey Mazda van as police dispersed a large crowd. His first stop was St George, an Anglican church in Jerusalem's Old City.
The Israeli authorities have imposed a series of travel restrictions and other constraints on Mr Vanunu, saying he still possesses state secrets. But Mr Vanunu insisted he has no more secrets to reveal.
Human rights campaigners and the Sunday newspaper to which he leaked details of Israel's nuclear secrets welcomed his release.
The Sunday Times said it was delighted, but "appalled", that the Israeli government continued to impose "severe restrictions" on Mr Vanunu's freedom of movement and speech.
The former technician worked at the Dimona reactor in the Negev Desert between 1976 and 1985.
He disclosed details and photos of Israel's top-secret nuclear plant and reputed nuclear arsenal to The Sunday Times in 1986.
Following the leaks, he was seized in Europe by the Mossad intelligence agency and taken to Israel. There he was put on trial and jailed for treason.
Based partly on photographs that Mr Vanunu provided, it is widely believed Israel has a large stockpile of nuclear weapons. The CIA recently estimated Israel has 200-400 nuclear weapons.
Officially the country has a policy of "nuclear ambiguity: saying only that it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East.
Richard Caseby, managing editor of The Sunday Times, said: "Vanunu is a genuine whistleblower, not a traitor.
"He came to the Sunday Times to tell us about Israeli secret nuclear weapons programmes because he believed it was important for the Israeli people to know what was being done in their name.
"He believed it was the proper function of a democracy to have a free and open debate about the state programme for building such weapons."
Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK, said: "Mordechai Vanunu's release is long overdue.
"The Israeli authorities must allow him to exercise his full rights...He should also be allowed to leave the country if he wishes."
Activists from around the world gathered at Shikma in recent days to welcome Mr Vanunu on his release.
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