DaysofPal– Prominent Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has been subjected to repeated torture and physical assaults while in Israeli custody, according to an international advocacy group campaigning for his release.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the “Free Marwan” campaign said Barghouti endured multiple brutal attacks while held in solitary confinement at Megiddo and Ramon prisons, coinciding with the anniversary of his arrest more than two decades ago.
The group said Barghouti informed his lawyer during a recent visit that he had been beaten three times in less than a month, on March 24, March 25, and April 8, by prison suppression units.
The assaults left him with injuries and bleeding across his body, without access to medical treatment.
Barghouti, who was arrested by Israeli forces in 2002 during the second Palestinian intifada, is serving multiple life sentences after being convicted of directing attacks that resulted in Israeli casualties.
According to the campaign, the recent incidents are part of a broader pattern of abuse that has intensified since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
The group called on international organizations and human rights bodies to intervene and ensure the protection of Barghouti and other Palestinian detainees.
Barghouti has spent more than three decades in Israeli prisons, the campaign noted, highlighting his status as one of the most prominent Palestinian political figures in detention.
The statement also referenced a February incident in which Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered Barghouti’s cell and issued threats against him, citing video footage circulated in Israeli media at the time.
Despite several prisoner exchange deals in recent months, including those linked to a ceasefire agreement implemented in October, Israeli occupation forces have not included Barghouti among those released.
Human rights groups say conditions in Israeli detention facilities have deteriorated amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Palestinian officials estimate that more than 9,300 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons, including women and minors, alongside detainees held in military camps.
Meanwhile, violence in the occupied West Bank has surged since the start of the Gaza war, with Palestinian sources reporting over 1,100 fatalities, thousands of injuries, and tens of thousands of arrests.
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