More than 20 actors who have appeared in Marvel Studios films and television series have joined an international campaign calling on Israel to release senior terrorist Marwan Barghouti, one of the most prominent Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.
Among the best-known names backing the “Freedom for Marwan” campaign are Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Mark Ruffalo, who portrays the Hulk; and Don Cheadle, who plays War Machine.
Marwan Barghouti
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
They have been joined by Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Tatiana Maslany, Daniel Brühl, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
The campaign was launched late last year by Barghouti’s family with the support of civil society organizations in Britain. The Marvel actors join more than 200 cultural figures from around the world, including actors, musicians, writers and directors, who have signed a letter supporting the campaign.
Barghouti, a senior Fatah figure and former secretary-general of the movement in the West Bank, has been imprisoned in Israel for more than two decades. Israeli forces arrested him in Ramallah in April 2002 during the Second Intifada, when he was a leader of Tanzim, Fatah’s armed faction.
In 2004, an Israeli court convicted Barghouti of five counts of murder for his role in four terrorist attacks that killed four Israelis and a Greek monk. He was also convicted of attempted murder and membership in a terrorist organization and sentenced to five consecutive life terms plus an additional 40 years.
Despite his imprisonment, Barghouti remains one of the most recognizable figures in Palestinian politics and has repeatedly been cited as a possible successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
His name has also surfaced repeatedly in negotiations over prisoner exchanges. Hamas has sought his release in past negotiations, while Israel has refused to free him.