Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouthi transferred to undisclosed location

Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouthi transferred to undisclosed location
Israeli authorities have transferred imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi from the Ramon prison to an unidentified location, a Palestinian prisoners' affairs group has said.
2 min read
27 May, 2016
Barghouthi has been transferred to an unidentified location [Getty]

Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouthi has been transferred from Israel's Ramon prison to an unidentified location.

Barghouthi's most recent transfer comes only five days after he was transferred to Ramon prison, where he was reportedly prevented from moving between sections of the prison or communicating with other inmates, according to the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.

The group also accused Israeli prison services of being responsible for arbitrary violations and abuses against the imprisoned politician.

A senior figure within the Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Barghouthi was arrested in 2002 and sentenced two years later. 

He was handed five consecutive life sentences after Israeli authorities charged him with the founding of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a group Israel designates as a "terrorist" organisation, as well as being involved in several murders during the Second Intifada, charges he has consistently denied.

He was first arrested in 1978 and imprisoned for more than four years for "membership of a banned organisation".

He then completed his secondary education and received his high school diploma while in jail. Several short-term arrests followed as Israel identified him as a budding Palestinain leader of note.

Barghouthi also received a PhD in Political Science while imprisoned, and has most recently received three nominations for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize, including a nomination from leading members of Belgium’s parliament.

Despite being in prison, Barghouti remains active and committed to Palestinian national unity, co-authoring the prisoners' national reconciliation document in 2006 that outlined the basis for a national unity agreement.

Barghouthi remains one of the most popular Palestinian political leaders and a symbol of the Palestinian intifada.