Hansard

Petition PE864 by Mick Napier calls on the Scottish Parliament to congratulate Mordechai Vanunu on his election as the 119th rector of the University of Glasgow on a platform of support for Palestinian human rights and opposition to all weapons of mass destruction in the middle east and to call on the British Government to exert pressure on Israel to release Mr Vanunu to allow him to visit Scotland and perform his duties as the democratically elected student rector at the University of Glasgow.Before being lodged, the petition was hosted on the e-petition site, where it gathered 1,045 signatures. The usual e-petition briefing has been circulated for members' information.Mordechai Vanunu was jailed in Israel in 1986 for 18 years. He was released from prison on 21 April 2004, with restrictions placed on him, including bans on travel outside the country and on discussing nuclear secrets. In April 2005, Israel extended the travel ban on Vanunu for another year, which means that he cannot leave Israel until at least 19 April 2006. In December 2004, the University of Glasgow elected Mr Vanunu as rector. Students said that they voted for him to show their support for human rights and opposition to nuclear weapons.Do members have any ideas about what we can do with the petition?