Longest serving prisoner Nael Barghouti, 59, continues to be held despite having served his latest sentence of 30 months on 17 December 2016, which was issued based on secret information. An appeal was submitted by the prosecution on 25 November 2015, who seek to re-instate a previous life sentence on Mr. Barghouti. However, the military court judge has not given a response to the appeal yet. Barghouti faces the possibility of re-instatement of life sentence based on secret information. An appeal has been submitted by Addameer to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Mr. Barghouti was first arrested when he was 20 years old in April 1978. Barghouti was released as part of the Wafa Al-Ahrar exchange deal. In 2014, during a mass arrest campaign, he was re-arrested by military order 1651, which allows for the re-arrest of prisoners and detainees released as part of exchange deals based on “secret information”. Today, he has spent over 35 years in Israeli prisons.
On 21 November 2016, Barghouti was transferred from Negev prison to Rimon prison—a glooming suggestion that his former sentence may be imposed. Mr. Barghouti has been denied the right to family visitation with his wife Iman Nafie, who is a former prisoner, and who he met during his time in prison, has been denied visitation under security pretexts.
On 15 May 2015, a military court rejected the prosecution’s request to return the original sentence due to lack of evidence, but on 10/05/2013 the court sentenced Barghouti to 30 months imprisonment. Nael Barghouti was scheduled to be released on 06 November 2016. An appeal was submitted by prosecution in attempt to re-impose a life sentence.
TAKE ACTION!
• Organize an event/demonstration in your school, university or college campuses calling for the release of Palestinian prisoner Nael Barghouti
• Write to your local elected officials and members of parliament to call upon the Israeli government to release Mr. Bargouti;
• Send a letter to an Israeli official in English or your own language, calling them to immediately release Mr. Bargouti and to end his arbitrary detention.