Global campaign launched to free Palestinian leader Barghouti

Published: 04 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

An international campaign to free Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, jailed in Israel since 2002, is gaining momentum, with over 200 cultural figures, including Margaret Atwood and Javier Bardem, expressing support. Barghouti, a senior Fatah leader often referred to as Palestine’s Nelson Mandela, has been serving five life sentences on charges related to attacks during the second Intifada and has endured repeated assaults and mistreatment in prison.

The campaign, launched by Barghouti’s family under the banner “Free Marwan,” calls on the United Nations and governments worldwide to intervene and secure his release. Earlier this year, Barghouti was taunted in Ganot Prison by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, highlighting concerns over his physical condition and safety.

Barghouti is widely seen as a unifying figure within Palestinian politics and a potential key player in the creation of a future Palestinian state. Recent polling by the People’s Company for Polls and Survey Research indicates he would win decisively in Palestinian Authority elections, with Hamas coming second and current President Mahmoud Abbas trailing in third.

The campaign has sparked events and demonstrations in countries including the United Kingdom and France, underscoring international solidarity for Barghouti’s cause and drawing attention to ongoing Israeli military actions in the West Bank and the broader struggle for Palestinian self-determination. Advocates argue that his release is critical for a credible path to peace and political unity in Palestine.