PRESS STATEMENT

22 May 2002

Freedom for Marwan Barghouti and All Palestinian Political Prisoners

Today we announce the Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti, elected Palestinian Legislative Council Member

Marwan Barghouti is a central participant in the Palestinian struggle. His work on behalf of the ongoing Palestinian Intifada, aimed at ending 35-years of Israeli occupation, has been tireless. Marwan recognizes the importance of ending occupation and achieving national freedom as the foundation for peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis.

Denying Marwan Barghouti his freedom is equivalent to denying the reality of the occupation. As Barghouti once said:

“Israelis must abandon the myth that it is possible to have peace and occupation at the same time, that peaceful coexistence is possible between slave and master.”

Marwan believes in a just peace that is based on the realization of the legitimate national rights of our people, which requires the ending of the last colonial occupation in the world and on the establishment of a Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital. The Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti asserts that his arrest and subsequent and continued torture while under interrogation in Israeli prisons is a profound violation of international law, human rights, as well as his right to freedom of expression and political leadership as an elected parliamentarian.

This Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti aims:

• To unite all local, regional and international efforts to free Marwan Barghouti;
• To expose the issue of political prisoners held in Israeli prisons;
• To defend the right of the Palestinian People in their struggle to end occupation.

This campaign addresses all Palestinian people, Arab and Islamic nations, and people of good will around the world that stand with Palestinians in our struggle for national rights, freedom and independence. The Campaign also calls for all, each from their respective location, to establish local committees to demand Marwan’s freedom and coordinate with the campaign secretariat in Palestine.

Furthermore, the campaign calls upon all international human rights institutions to pressure the Israeli government to free Marwan Barghouti, since his arrest is in violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Campaign also calls on all parliamentarians in the world to stand up and defend Marwan. He is an elected Palestinian parliamentarian who has worked tirelessly to build a progressive democratic Palestinian society.

Our individual participation in the Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti and all Palestinian detainees is an integral part of achieving the goals of the Palestinian Intifada and realizing freedom and independence by ending over three decades of Israeli occupation.

Committee to Free Marwan Barghouti