Palestinian leader Barghouti endures ‘violent’ assaults in Israeli prisons

Recent reports of prison brutality follow an attack last year that resulted in broken ribs and head injuries.Popular Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has faced a series of “violent” assaults in Israeli jails in recent weeks, raising new concerns that his life may be at risk, according to his lawyer.Lawyer Ben Marmarelli said in a statement published on Wednesday on the Telegram page of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office that Barghouti, who has been serving a life sentence imposed by Israel since 2002, had been subjected to three assaults over March and April, indicating a pattern of “escalating violations”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Global protests condemning Israel’s new death penalty law for Palestinianslist 2 of 3West Bank strikes over Palestinian-only death penaltylist 3 of 3‘This is an apartheid regime’: Critics decry Israel’s new death penalty lawend of listThe 66-year-old, a senior leader of President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement, was left to bleed after being severely beaten in Ganot Prison in central Israel on April 8, with requests for medical attention denied, said Marmarelli, following a visit to his client on Sunday.On March 25, he was assaulted while being transferred from Megiddo prison in the north to Ganot. The day before, guards had “stormed his cell with a dog, forced him to lie on the floor, and then the dog repeatedly attacked him”, said Marmarelli.In a statement issued on the eve of the 24th anniversary of his capture, the “Free Marwan” international campaign said Barghouti had been subjected to “new brutal assaults” while held in solitary confinement in Megiddo and at Ramon Prison in southern Israel.Marmarelli described the conditions of his five-hour visit as “harsh and inhumane”, saying he and his client had been forced “to shout through the glass to communicate”.Despite the brutal conditions of his captivity, Barghouti was described as “sharp-minded, focused, and fully engaged in following events outside the prison walls”.Palestine’s Mandela tauntedBarghouti, who is regarded as a likely key player in the creation of any Palestinian state because of his ability to unite various political factions, is serving five life sentences in Israeli prisons on charges related to alleged attacks during the Second Intifada, which lasted from 2000 to 2005.