A major international campaign is gaining momentum to secure the freedom of Marwan Barghouti, the prominent Palestinian political figure many consider crucial to future peace negotiations. The initiative comes as ceasefire discussions continue in the context of the ongoing Gaza conflict.
London Art Installation Sparks Global Movement
Across London, striking murals bearing the words 'Free Marwan' have begun appearing, coordinated by Calum Hall, founder of Creative Debuts. The art installations form part of a broader public awareness campaign that includes a massive art piece in Kobar village near Ramallah.
The campaign is being spearheaded by Barghouti's West Bank-based family with support from UK civil society organisations. Campaign organisers aim to position the 66-year-old's fate as central to the next phase of ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Palestinian factions.
The Political Prisoner and Peace Advocate
Barghouti has spent more than two decades in Israeli imprisonment after being convicted of planning attacks that resulted in five civilian deaths. However, his trial was widely criticised as deeply flawed by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an international organisation representing parliaments worldwide.
Despite this lengthy incarceration, successive opinion polls consistently show Barghouti remains the most popular Palestinian politician in both Gaza and the West Bank. Many observers believe Israel refuses to release him precisely because he could become an effective spokesperson for the Palestinian cause.
As a member of Fatah party, which maintains a bitter rivalry with Hamas, Barghouti has long advocated for a two-state solution to the conflict. His wife, Fadwa Barghouti, emphasised in recent interviews with Israeli media that her husband "sees the two-state solution as the way to move forward and live in peace."
Concerns Over Treatment and International Law
Barghouti's prison conditions have raised significant concerns among human rights organisations. He has frequently been held in solitary confinement without family access and has allegedly suffered four major beatings since 2023 alone.
Disturbingly, the International Committee of the Red Cross has been prohibited from visiting him, constituting a clear breach of international law. Barghouti hasn't seen his family for three years, and his lawyers have managed only five visits in the past two years.
Most recently, Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was captured on video taunting and threatening Barghouti with execution. The Knesset is currently considering new legislation backed by Ben-Gvir that would permit the death penalty for those convicted of nationalist-motivated murder.
Despite intense pressure from Hamas and Gulf states, Israel refused to include Barghouti in the large-scale prisoner exchange that occurred during the ceasefire on 13 October. The campaign for his release expects to gain further traction next week when a letter from various political and cultural figures calling for his freedom will be published.
Arab Barghouti, his son, expressed that his father "represents hope to Palestinians at a time when there are efforts to silence him and make him forgotten." He added, "Seeing people around the world raise his name gives me hope. I wish our family's experience was unique, but thousands of Palestinian families endure the same pain."
