Over 200 prominent cultural figures spanning literature, film, music, art and activism have signed an open letter urging the release of Marwan Barghouti, who was abducted by Israeli forces in the West Bank in April 2002, and later jailed. The Palestinian leader is widely seen as a unifying force and a central figure in the struggle for Palestinian statehood, and is often described by supporters as the “Palestinian Mandela”.
The signatories include some of the world’s most celebrated names: authors Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Zadie Smith, Fatima Bhutto and Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux; actors Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Mark Ruffalo and Josh O’Connor; and musicians Sting, Paul Simon, Annie Lennox and Brian Eno. Also on the list are Stephen Fry, Gary Lineker, Ai Weiwei, Sir Richard Eyre, Delia Smith and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson — a coalition as varied as it is influential.
Barghouti, 66, has spent 23 years behind bars after what human rights groups and legal experts have long described as a deeply flawed trial.
An elected member of parliament at the time of his abduction, he continues to consistently top Palestinian opinion polls as the public’s preferred leader. His continued detention, including his exclusion from the recent prisoner swap following October’s ceasefire in the Gaza war, has been widely interpreted not as a security decision but as a political one, rooted in concerns about the influence he could wield in building Palestinian unity and renewed momentum toward a two-state solution.
The open letter raises alarm over Israel’s insistence on introducing legislation allowing for the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners, a move that could put Barghouti at further risk.
The campaign for Barghouti draws parallels to the cultural movement that helped galvanise international pressure to free Nelson Mandela and end apartheid in South Africa. Mandela himself drew the comparison in 2002, saying, “What is happening to Barghouti is the same as what happened to me.”
Musician Eno echoed that sentiment in his statement: “History shows us that cultural voices can shift the course of politics. Just as global solidarity helped free Nelson Mandela, we all have the power to accelerate the day that Marwan Barghouti walks free.”
British-Palestinian novelist and lawyer Selma Dabbagh emphasised the longstanding concerns around Barghouti’s trial, citing the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s assessment that it was “deeply flawed”. “Marwan’s release would be a critical step in allowing Palestinians to determine their own leadership, whatever shape that may take,” she said.
The joint statement by the group expresses “grave concern” over Barghouti’s continued imprisonment, violent mistreatment and the denial of his legal rights. It urges the UN and global governments to “actively seek his release”.
