RAMALLAH, (Palestine Foundation Information Center), Qassam Barghouti, the son of imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, revealed that a recently released detainee informed him on Friday morning that his father had been subjected to brutal assaults inside Israeli prisons. He said prison forces had “shattered his body, broken his teeth, ribs, and fingers, and cut off part of his ear.”
Describing the constant fear gripping his family, Qassam asked, “What are we supposed to do? Who do we speak to? Who do we turn to? We are living this nightmare every day.”
These testimonies come as a growing global campaign calling for the imprisoned leader’s release gains momentum, led by his family with support from civil society organizations in the United Kingdom. The campaign aims to place his case at the forefront of political and diplomatic discussions that will accompany the next phase following the ceasefire in Gaza.
The British newspaper The Guardian published a report by diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour, noting that more than 200 prominent global cultural figures have signed a letter demanding Barghouti’s release. He is widely viewed as the Palestinian figure most capable of unifying the factions and leading the national liberation project.
The list of signatories includes major names from the worlds of literature and art, among them Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, writer Ian McEwan, novelist Zadie Smith, actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Sir Ian McKellen, and Mark Ruffalo, as well as world-renowned musicians such as Sting, Paul Simon, Brian Eno, and Annie Lennox. The letter was also signed by global artist Ai Weiwei, director Sir Richard Eyre, and billionaire Richard Branson.
The Guardian report pointed out that Israel’s refusal to release Barghouti does not appear to be linked to any security threat, but rather to the significant political influence he is expected to have on the future of the Palestinian political system and the trajectory of the two-state solution.
Barghouti is now 66 years old, 23 of which he has spent in prison following a trial widely described as unfair and failing to meet legal standards. He was a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council at the time of his arrest and continues to enjoy broad popularity, consistently topping opinion polls as the most favored figure among Palestinians to lead the next stage.
He was arrested on April 15, 2002, in the city of Ramallah, and in 2004 received a sentence of five life terms plus 40 years.
As testimonies of torture continue to emerge and international pressure for his release mounts, attention is turning to whether the global community will take real action to end the suffering of one of the most prominent symbols of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement and one of the most influential figures in the political landscape.
