RAMALLAH, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
Activists and human rights advocates have relaunched an international campaign calling for the release of Palestinian political leader Marwan Barghouti, 66, who has been imprisoned by Israel for 23 years.
Barghouti, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, was arrested by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in 2002 and convicted by an Israeli court of charges including murder and attempted murder. He is currently serving five life sentences. Despite his imprisonment, Barghouti remains one of the most popular political figures among Palestinians.
His brother, Moqbel Barghouti, said the renewed campaign is being launched through simultaneous events held in London, Barghouti’s hometown of Kobar in the occupied West Bank, and other locations worldwide. He added that the effort “continues extensive advocacy that has been underway since Marwan’s arrest.”
Events calling for Barghouti’s release have already been organized in several countries, including South Africa, France, Britain, Italy, and many Arab states. Moqbel noted that the relaunch began last Saturday, specifically from the United Kingdom.
British civil society organizations and pro-Palestine solidarity groups have taken the lead in reviving the campaign. On Sunday, they held a series of demonstrations, public events, and art installations demanding Barghouti’s freedom.
France has also seen renewed mobilization, Moqbel said, noting that Barghouti had previously been granted “honorary citizenship” by more than 50 French municipalities. Many cities across France have held, and will continue to hold, events demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners, with Barghouti at the forefront.
More than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners remain in Israeli jails, including children and women, amid reports of severe torture, starvation, and medical neglect that have caused the deaths of dozens, according to both Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups.
Moqbel added that a group of British artists visited Kobar last Saturday, including one artist named Jamie, who painted a massive mural covering an entire football field depicting Barghouti alongside the words “FREE MARWAN.”
He described the campaign as a “human rights, humanitarian, and national initiative,” organized with support from rights groups and parliamentarians, and joined by Nobel Peace Prize laureates. He emphasized the urgency of freeing Palestinian detainees, noting that more than 90 prisoners have died in Israeli custody since October 2023.
In February of this year, far-right Israeli minister of national security Itamar Ben-Gvir stormed Barghouti’s prison cell and threatened to kill him, according to video footage published by Israeli media at the time.
Once a local grassroots movement, the Barghouti campaign has expanded into an international initiative that has been revived multiple times, most notably on 27 October 2023, when it was relaunched from the former prison cell of South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela on Robben Island.
On 23 October, US president Donald Trump said he would decide whether to push for Barghouti’s release, though no decision has been announced since.
Despite releasing thousands of Palestinian prisoners in past exchange agreements, including those secured under the current ceasefire, Israel continues to reject calls to free Barghouti and other prominent detainees.
