More than 20 actors associated with Marvel films and television have joined an international campaign demanding the release of Marwan Barghouti, the senior Fatah figure serving five consecutive life sentences in Israel after being convicted of five murders committed during the Second Intifada.

The latest celebrity push includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Ian McKellen, Daniel Brühl, Rebecca Hall, Tatiana Maslany, Hugo Weaving, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Riz Ahmed and Elliot Page, among others. The “Free Marwan” campaign says more than 200 cultural figures have now backed its call, including musicians Sting, Paul Simon and Annie Lennox and author Margaret Atwood.

The statement signed by the celebrities alleges that Barghouti has faced mistreatment and been denied legal rights in prison, and calls on the United Nations and governments around the world to seek his release. The campaign, spearheaded by Barghouti’s family with support from organizations in Britain, has increasingly sought to portray him as a Palestinian equivalent of Nelson Mandela.

That portrayal leaves out the crimes for which Barghouti was convicted.

An Israeli court found Barghouti guilty of five counts of murder for his role in three terrorist attacks: the murder of Greek Orthodox monk Georgios Tsibouktzakis near Ma’ale Adumim; the murder of Yoela Chen near Givat Ze’ev; and the deadly attack on Tel Aviv’s Seafood Market restaurant, where terrorist Ibrahim Hasouna opened fire and attacked people with an M16, grenades and a knife.

The Tel Aviv attack killed Yosef Habi, Eli Dahan and police officer Salim Barakat and wounded dozens more. Barghouti was also convicted of attempted murder and membership in a terrorist organization. He was sentenced to five consecutive life terms plus an additional 40 years. The court acquitted him of additional murders after finding insufficient evidence to establish his responsibility for those specific attacks.

Barghouti rejected the Israeli court’s jurisdiction and has continued to deny the legitimacy of his conviction. His supporters argue that he should instead be viewed as a political prisoner and potential partner in a future peace process. Israel has long presented him as a senior figure in the Fatah-linked terrorist infrastructure responsible for deadly attacks during the Second Intifada.

The celebrity campaign is gaining traction at a politically significant moment. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa became the first sitting head of state to sign the international pledge for Barghouti’s release, while activists have staged public campaigns and even attempted to erect a Barghouti statue in London’s Parliament Square.

Despite more than two decades behind bars, Barghouti also remains by far one of the most powerful potential figures in Palestinian politics. A new Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research poll found that 54% of likely voters would support him in a hypothetical presidential race, compared with 26% for Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and just 14% for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The growing international campaign is therefore about more than the fate of a single prisoner. Barghouti’s supporters are openly positioning him as a possible future Palestinian leader. For Israel, however, any discussion of his political future begins with a far different record: five murder convictions, five life sentences and victims whose names remain inseparable from the campaign now demanding his freedom.