Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a progressive Democrat from Illinois, is calling on Israel to release imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted for his role in deadly terror attacks during the Second Intifada.

Garcia made the demand in a post on X, claiming that Barghouti was denied a fair trial and has been tortured during his more than two decades in an Israeli prison.

“I support the release of Marwan Barghouti. He did not receive a fair trial and has been tortured in Israeli prison for over 20 years. He is a popular and unifying voice for the Palestinian people, and as we push to end Israel’s atrocities, his release would help advance freedom and self-determination for Palestine. Marwan — and everyone unjustly detained by Israel — must be released,” Garcia wrote.

Barghouti, a prominent Fatah figure during the Second Intifada, was convicted by an Israeli court on charges stemming from terror attacks that killed five civilians. He was sentenced to five cumulative life terms plus an additional 40 years in prison.

Barghouti has denied the charges against him and rejected the Israeli court’s jurisdiction to try him, citing his position as a member of the Palestinian Authority parliament.

Garcia becomes the second U.S. congressman in a matter of days to publicly call for Barghouti’s release.

Last week, Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, became the first U.S. lawmaker to make such a call. Khanna did not directly claim that Barghouti’s trial was unfair, though he cited human rights groups that have raised that argument. Instead, Khanna argued that peace processes have historically involved individuals with violent pasts, including people who had done “terrible things.”

Barghouti is viewed by many Palestinians and some members of the international community as a possible successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

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