Hollywood A-listers including Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sting, Javier Bardem and others signed an open letter calling for the release of Marwan Barghouti, the Palestinian leader serving five life terms for his role in terror attacks that killed five people.
More than 200 actors, musicians, authors and other cultural figures signed the letter, released Friday by campaign for Barghouti’s release. Other signatories included Sir Richard Branson, Margaret Atwood, Sting, Brian Eno, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox and Sir Ian McKellen.
In 2004, Bargouti was convicted in an Israeli court of membership in a terrorist organization and five counts of murder stemming from three deadly terrorist attacks in Israel.
Prosecutors accused Barghouti of ties to Fatah, Tanzim and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade militant group and the court held him responsible for providing field units with money and arms in attacks that killed four Israelis and a Greek monk.
“We call upon the United Nations and the Governments of the World to actively seek the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the petition read.
Barghouti called the charges illegitimate and his family alleged he’s been assaulted and suffered inhumane treatment in prison, per the BBC.
Barghouti, a former Parliamentarian, remains a popular Palestinian figure topping opinion polls.
Hamas negotiators argued for Barghouti’s release in the October hostage-prisoner swap in which the terror group handed over 20 hostages in exchange for 1,968 Palestinian detainees, but they were unsuccessful.
Read the full article here