Known as Palestine’s Nelson Mandela, he has been in prison for more than 23 years and subjected to brutal abuse.
An international campaign to free popular Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, who has been jailed in Israel since 2002, is gathering pace, with more than 200 A-listers, from Margaret Atwood to Javier Bardem, lending their support.
“We express our grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned,” said an open letter published on Wednesday, calling on the United Nations and governments to take action.
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Most of the high-profile cultural signatories were already active in efforts to bring an end to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, but the new letter is part of an international “Free Marwan” campaign launched by Barghouti’s family earlier this week.
Barghouti, a senior leader of President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group, who is viewed by many as Palestine’s Nelson Mandela, is serving five life sentences in Israeli prisons on alleged charges related to attacks during the second Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005.
Earlier this year, the 66-year-old, who has been subjected to brutal assaults repeatedly, causing bodily harm while in prison, was taunted in his cell at Ganot Prison in central Israel by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
A video broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12 in August showed Ben-Gvir telling the captive, “You won’t win.” It marked the first sighting of Barghouti in years, with relatives noting his “shocking” appearance caused by “exhaustion and hunger”.
In October, Barghouti’s son said his father had been severely beaten by Israeli guards during a prison transfer in September, resulting in four broken ribs and head injuries.
Fearing that he might die in custody, Barghouti’s family launched the “Free Marwan” campaign, with events organised in various countries, including the United Kingdom and France.
Barghouti is regarded as a likely key player in the creation of any Palestinian state because of his ability to unite various political factions. He is seen by many as the last hope for a free Palestine.
A poll held by the People’s Company for Polls and Survey Research (PCPSR) in October showed that if Palestinian Authority elections were held, he would win hands down.
The poll also showed that the armed group Hamas would come second, with Abbas trailing in third place.
The PA president’s unpopular administration, in place for the past two decades, is seen as a subcontractor of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank, which is currently suffering a full-blown Israeli military assault and daily attacks by rampaging settlers amid threats of annexation.
Abbas is now vying for the PA to be given a role in the post-war governance of Gaza under United States President Donald Trump’s UN-endorsed 20-point plan, and has promised legislative and presidential elections within a year after the war in the enclave ends.
Palestinians are sceptical. The PCPSR poll showed that 60 percent of the participants doubted elections would happen.
