For Immediate Release:Multiple Israeli Assaults on Marwan Barghouti, the Jailed Palestinian Leader

Barghouti’s son appeals to the international community for his protection

On the eve of the 24th anniversary of the imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, Palestine’s most prominent political prisoner, his lawyer revealed he has been violently assaulted three times in recent weeks.

Following a visit on the 12th April the lawyer reported the following attacks:

● 8 April (Ganot Prison): he was beaten severely and left bleeding for more than two hours, requested medical care, and was denied treatment.
● 25 March (transfer from Megiddo to Ganot): he was assaulted during the transfer between prisons
● 24 March (Megiddo Prison): a unit of guards entered the cell with a dog, forced him to the ground; where the dog repeatedly attacked him

Commenting on the attacks, Ben Marmarelli, Marwan’s Lawyer said:

“These recent attacks form a pattern of rapidly escalating abuse: violence, medical neglect and prolonged solitary confinement places my client at immediate risk of severe harm or death. While Marwan is held in an Israeli jail there can be no way to guarantee his safety. In an atmosphere where Israel is emboldened in its abuse of prisoners the only way to protect Marwan is to secure his immediate release.”

Arab Barghouti, Marwan’s son, comments:

“For 24 years, my father has been imprisoned for believing in Palestinian freedom and a just peace. That belief is his only crime — and in the eyes of his captors, it warrants endless punishment: assaults, attack dogs, years of solitary confinement.

No family should live this nightmare. It’s clear there is no protection for him under this unhinged prison system overseen by Ben Gvir – a man who has publicly called for my father’s death.

The only way to save his life is to demand his immediate release—before it’s too late.”

Marwan Barghouti is Palestine’s most popular political leader often called the Palestinian Mandela. He has spent the last 23 years in prison following a trial that was widely criticised for being in violation of international law.

These attacks happened in the context of increasing violence against Palestinian prisoners, just last week a UN expert warned that abuse of prisoners has become ‘state doctrine’ in Israel, ‘making prisons instruments of genocide and torture’.

ENDS

The Barghouti family and Diana Buttu, Palestinian-Canadian human rights lawyer who is familiar with the case, are available for interview please contact media@freemarwan.org or +44 7869 668 555

Notes to editors (with full details of previous attacks)

● On 15 April 2002, Israeli soldiers disguised in an ambulance seized Marwan from Ramallah and transferred him to Israel—in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

● He was convicted in a trial widely condemned as illegitimate and politically motivated. The Inter-Parliamentary Union—representing over 180 national parliaments, including the US Congress—found “numerous breaches of international law” in his case, concluding it was “impossible to say that Mr. Barghouti received a fair trial.”

● No international journalists have been given access to him since 2006, lawyer visits are extremely infrequent, and family visits almost non-existent.

● Oct 2023 – Following the Hamas-led attacks, Barghouti was placed in solitary confinement and repeatedly transferred across at least four different Israeli prisons—Ofer, Ramla, Ohalay Kedar, and ultimately Megiddo. Barghouti’s son, Arab, reports his father was ordered to kneel by the prison governor; when he refused, he was forced down—resulting in a dislocated shoulder.

● Dec 2023 – His legal team reported Barghouti was beaten multiple times while held at Ayalon Prison, including being dragged naked across the floor in front of other prisoners.

● Feb-Mar 2024 – Transferred to Ramla Prison’s solitary wing, continuing frequent prison moves. Rights groups characterized these as punitive measures tied to the Gaza war.

● 6 Mar 2024 – Barghouti was reportedly dragged in handcuffs to a camera-free area at Megiddo and severely beaten—collapsing and struck until losing consciousness. He sustained bruises to his face, back, legs, and right foot.

● May 2024 – His lawyer described Barghouti as physically weakened: having visible weight loss, impaired vision in his right eye, and overall deteriorating health. Conditions include cramped, dark cells and no access to medical care for injuries sustained earlier.

● 9 Sept 2024 – Barghouti was the target of another violent assault while in solitary at Megiddo. Reportedly suffered fractured ribs, limb injuries, right ear bleeding, back pain, and infection from untreated wounds.

● Oct 2024 – His ordeal gained international attention—Fatah officials warned Israel of a potential plot to eliminate him. Human rights groups decried the assaults as intentional harm to a high-profile prisoner.

● Late 2024- Early 2025 – US officials and Middle Eastern governments raised concerns over his treatment, urging Israel to conduct transparent investigations into the credible allegations of abuse.

● Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was today filmed threatening
Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti in a jail cell. The footage is the first time Barghouti has been seen by the outside world in years. Ben-Gvir has been sanctioned by the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway due to repeated incitements to violence. His threats to harm Marwan Barghouti were made in the solitary confinement wing of Ganot Prison in Israel.