Marwan Barghouti
Photo: AP
Wife of Palestinian hunger striker asks pope to intervene
Fadwa Barghouti writes to Pope Francis, urging him to 'speak up, because freedom and dignity are God given rights, and no human group should deprive another of these rights.'
The wife of terrorist Marwan Barghouti,
who is leading a mass hunger strike
by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, has written to Pope Francis calling on him to intervene "before it is too late."
Fadwa Barghouti has called on the pope to "speak up, because freedom and dignity are God given rights, and no human group should deprive another of these rights."
"Your call for respect of the rights of the Palestinian people, including the rights of our political prisoners, would allow the voice of those placed in isolation to reach the world," the letter says.
Fadwa Barghouti (Photo: GettyImages)
The Vatican has recognized Palestine as a state.
The hunger strike began on April 17, led by Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences over his role in the murder of Israelis during the second Palestinian intifada.
The Israel Prisons Service says 894 Palestinian prisoners have kept up the strike, though Palestinian officials say it is more than 1,000.
Some 6,500 Palestinians are currently detained by Israel for a range of offences and alleged crimes. Around 500 are being held under Israel's system of administrative detention, which allows for imprisonment without charge.
Palestinian prisoners have mounted repeated hunger strikes, but rarely on such a scale.
Israel has vowed not to negotiate with the hunger strikers, with Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan calling them "terrorists and incarcerated murderers."
In her letter, Fadwa Barghouti said "the Israeli courts are instruments of oppression, not justice, especially Israeli military courts with their conviction rate of 90 to 99 percent for Palestinians."
