Al-Barghouti facing 'slow assassination' in notorious Israeli prison
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Palestinian leader Abdullah al-Barghouti is reportedly enduring systematic torture and medical neglect in Israeli Gilboa prison, prompting urgent rights calls.
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Palestinian Abdullah Barghouti, a leading commander for the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas in the West Bank, is escorted by Israeli police into the Magistrate's Court for a hearing in occupied al-Quds, on June 20, 2012. ( AFP)
The Prisoners Information Office expressed Tuesday evening deep concerns over the severe violations being committed against imprisoned leader Abdullah al-Barghouti inside "Israel's" Gilboa prison, warning that he is “subject to a systematic assassination attempt amid a serious deterioration in his health that poses an immediate threat to his life.”
According to verified information from inside Israeli prisons, al-Barghouti is being repeatedly physically assaulted, leaving his body covered in bruises, his head swollen with blood clots, his eyes visibly swollen, and his ribs fractured, causing him sleep deprivation.
The Information Office added that “repression units, led by an officer named ‘Amir’, are carrying out coordinated raids on al-Barghouti’s cell, during which he is brutally beaten, resulting in severe bleeding, [losing] up to half a liter of blood each time.”
Trained dogs unleashed to maul his body
In a harrowing and inhumane scene, trained dogs are reportedly unleashed to maul his body after every torture session, following explicit orders from the Israeli officer, who is quoted as saying, “Let the dogs have fun with him,” according to the statement.
Testimonies obtained by the office further reveal that hot dishwashing liquid is poured over al-Barghouti’s body after each round of torture, accompanied by degrading verbal abuse, such as, “You were once a leader but today, you’re nothing and must die.”
These practices have caused al-Barghouti to fall into repeated comas, according to the office. His hand is wrapped in a trash bag and toilet paper due to the complete lack of medical care and protection, the office noted.
Al-Barghouti is said to suffer from severe pain, forcing him to sit on the ground with his head bowed. He has been unable to bathe for 12 days and must soak his bread in water because he is no longer able to chew.
Al-Barghouti is undergoing 'slow assassination'
The Palestinian Prisoners Information Office affirmed that what al-Barghouti is enduring is “a deliberate slow assassination, a blatant violation of all international norms and conventions.”
It added that “the occupation’s continued attempts to eliminate leaders of the Captive Movement will only provoke further outrage and popular uprising.”
The office stressed that ongoing international silence has emboldened the Israeli occupation to escalate such crimes, calling them “a stain on the conscience of those who claim to defend human rights.”
It urged international human rights organizations, especially the International Committee of the Red Cross, to urgently intervene to visit al-Barghouti and assess his condition.
It also called for an international investigation and for "Israel" to be held accountable for these crimes before the International Criminal Court.
The office called on Palestinians and supporters around the world to take to the streets in solidarity with the prisoners, describing their cause as sacred and warning that any harm to them is a red line.
Who is Abdullah al-Barghouti?
Abdullah al-Barghouti, also known as the “Prince of the Shadow,” holds the world’s longest cumulative prison sentence. He was arrested on March 5, 2003, when Israeli special forces abducted him in front of a Ramallah hospital while he was seeking treatment for his young daughter.
He was sentenced to 67 life terms and spent nearly nine years in solitary confinement under extremely harsh conditions.
Al-Barghouti played a central role in reactivating Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades in the occupied West Bank following the assassination of engineer Yahya Ayyash in 1996.
At his military trial in Beit Lahm, the officer in charge of his file reportedly said, “If Israel were ever forced to withdraw from the Palestinian territories, it would take him with it, as he is considered one of the most dangerous Palestinian Resistance figures.”
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