LONDON, 21 August. - (ANA) - More than 20 actors who have appeared in Marvel films and television series have backed calls for Israel to release jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti.

 

Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Doctor Strange, Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle, who portrays War Machine, are among the major Marvel names supporting the international Free Marwan campaign.

 

Other supporters with Marvel links include Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Tatiana Maslany, Daniel Brühl, Zawe Ashton, Emma Corrin, May Calamawy, Elliot Page, Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Brian Cox, Dan Stevens, Rob Delaney and Kingsley Ben-Adir.

 

The Free Marwan campaign was launched late last year by Barghouti’s family, led by his wife and lawyer Fadwa Barghouti, with support from UK civil society groups. It revived an earlier campaign launched by Fadwa and South African anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada from Robben Island, the prison that held Nelson Mandela during apartheid. 

 

The campaign expresses "grave concern at the continuing imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights whilst imprisoned" and calls on the UN and governments worldwide to seek his release.

 

The Marvel stars are among hundreds of actors, musicians, writers, filmmakers and other public figures backing the campaign.

 

More than 200 cultural figures were reported to have joined a celebrity-backed letter publicised in December, including Cumberbatch, Ruffalo, Swinton, Ian McKellen, Josh O'Connor, Sting, Annie Lennox, Paul Simon, Margaret Atwood and Zadie Smith.

 

The campaign has continued to attract supporters, with Blanchett and Cheadle among prominent figures reported in April to have added their names.

 

Barghouti, 67, is one of the most prominent figures in Palestinian politics and has been imprisoned by Israel since 2002.

 

A senior Fatah member and former Palestinian Legislative Council member, he emerged as a major leader during the First and Second Intifadas and has long advocated an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

 

An Israeli court convicted Barghouti in 2004 over attacks during the Second Intifada that killed five people and sentenced him to five life terms plus 40 years.

 

Barghouti refused to recognise the court's jurisdiction.

 

His trial has faced longstanding international criticism.

 

An expert report commissioned by the Inter-Parliamentary Union concluded that it failed to meet fair-trial standards and raised concerns over his arrest in the occupied West Bank and transfer to Israel.

 

Despite more than two decades behind bars, Barghouti remains an unusually powerful figure in Palestinian politics, with support extending beyond Fatah's traditional constituency.

 

His popularity has repeatedly fuelled speculation that he could succeed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas or play a central role in a future Palestinian leadership.

 

A Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research poll published on 12 August found that in a hypothetical presidential election between Barghouti, Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and Abbas, Barghouti would take 54 percent among likely voters.

 

Al-Hayya received 26 percent and Abbas 14 percent, while Barghouti's support rose to 63 percent among likely voters in the occupied West Bank.

 

His supporters see his cross-factional appeal as particularly important amid deep Palestinian political divisions and uncertainty over the future leadership of the Palestinian Authority and wider national movement.

 

Calls for his release have also intensified amid concern over his treatment in Israeli custody.

 

His lawyers said earlier this year that he had been subjected to repeated physical assaults, medical neglect and worsening prison conditions, prompting renewed concern from his family and international supporters.

 

The Free Marwan campaign argues that his release could help revive Palestinian political unity and prospects for a negotiated end to Israel's occupation, while successive Israeli governments have refused calls to free him.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/21 August 2026 - - -