Marwan Barghouti's 22 years of resistance in Israeli prisons
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The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society said that Marwan Barghouti and his colleagues, who are also detained, continue to be models of resistance, and sacrifice.
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Marwan Barghouti, center, raises his handcuffed hands in the air on the opening day of his trial in "Tel Aviv", occupied Palestine on Aug. 14, 2002.(AP)
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society released a statement commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the detention of the leader and national struggle detainee, Fatah Movement member Marwan Barghouti alongside the detainee Ahmad Barghouti.
The two organizations said this anniversary coincides with the catastrophic aggression against the Palestinian people and detainees in Israeli prisons and comes as the Israeli occupation continues its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
It also comes at a time where the Palestinian struggle is going through a historical turning point serving as an extension of resistance and struggle by the Palestinian people through blood and sacrifice over long decades, the statement read.
His detention adds to the Israeli occupation's targeting of Barghouti by pursuing him, deporting him, and repeatedly attempting to assassinate him during the al-Aqsa uprising when Palestinians exhibited great resistance and struggle in standing up to the occupation, the groups added.
They further highlighted that leader Marwan Barghouti and his detained comrades continue to be icons of resistance, sacrifice, and giving, regardless of all Israeli attempts to suppress and torture the Palestinian people through systematic policies.
The statement added that since October 7, Palestinian detainees and leaders of the detainees' movement, one of whom is Marwan Barghouti, have been subjected to unprecedented levels of torture, isolation, and assault, as the Israeli Prison Service utilized all means possible to target Palestinian detainees and deprive them of the rights they obtained through blood and sacrifice.
Solitary confinement
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society stressed that the Israeli Prison Service had repeatedly isolated and transferred Barghouti and his comrades as an act of suppression. Since December 2023, they transferred Barghouti from "Ofer" prison to solitary confinement at "Ramla" prison then moved him to solitary confinement at "Ohalay Kedar" prison, and then to solitary confinement at "Ramla" prison again. He is currently detained in solitary confinement at "Megiddo" prison.
Through those transfers, he was subjected to brutal attacks by Israeli special forces, especially in "Megiddo" prison as he was tortured and assaulted in a cruel way following October 7, they added.
The statement also said that all of these actions and policies taken by the occupation are not newly born as they go back to the start of the Israeli occupation and have only escalated since October 7.
A front of Resistance
The groups pointed out that this solitary confinement imposed on Marwan Barghouti was not the first one during his detention and emphasized that he was isolated many times before and that did not prevent him from utilizing his experience to benefit the front of Resistance, further conveying his revolutionary ideals through his actions and constant readiness for sacrifice.
They added that Barghouti persistently continued his resistance to reinforce the phrase: "The Israeli occupation's prisoners have turned into universities and educational institutions," adding that in the past, the latter was a metaphor, but now it is a reality as he managed to do that through providing means of knowledge and enlightenment as well as promoting education and culture.
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Society Prisoner’s Society paid tribute to leader Marwan Barghouti and all his comrades in Israeli prisons who continue their struggle through utmost determination and resilience.
