ACOM brings to court the presence of a Palestinian terrorist murderer in Madrid in a context of glorification and political support

ACOM has filed a complaint against Nael Barghouti and the organization Samidoun over an event held in Madrid that constitutes an unacceptable glorification of terrorism, directly incompatible with the principles of the rule of law.

The complaint places the facts in their real context: Nael Barghouti is a self-confessed and convicted terrorist, a member of a terrorist organization responsible for the massacre of hundreds of people. He is not a political actor or an activist, but a person convicted of terrorism.

Barghouti has not fully served his sentence. His release took place in the context of an exchange of convicted terrorists for hostages, the result of an act of blackmail carried out by the terrorist organization to which he belongs, which held people captive to force his release. That is the context: a terrorist at liberty as a direct consequence of the violent coercion exercised by his own organization.

Within this framework, his presence in Madrid and his participation in public events cannot be protected under freedom of expression. They constitute a form of glorification of terrorism. Likewise, those who organize, promote, or facilitate such events engage in conduct that must be investigated in light of current legislation on the glorification of terrorism.

ACOM emphasizes that this event has been presented and promoted in Madrid by Samidoun, an organization that has been subject to investigations, restrictions, or measures by various international authorities, including its ban in countries such as Germany. This context further aggravates the seriousness of the reported facts.

ACOM denounces that this type of event is not isolated, but rather occurs within a climate of increasing institutional degradation, in which certain political environments provide cover, tolerance, or support to narratives that whitewash terrorist violence.

It is particularly serious when among the victims of this organization are Spanish citizens such as Maya Villalobos and Igor Illarramendi. The memory of these victims cannot be humiliated through public acts that exalt those who have participated in such violence.

In light of this situation, ACOM does not expect political responses, but rather the strict application of the law. For this reason, it has requested the immediate opening of proceedings to identify all those responsible, establish criminal liability, and preserve all evidence, calling for the judiciary to act firmly and without ambiguity against any form of glorification of terrorism.