UK Detainees Affiliated with Palestine Action Continue Hunger Strike Despite Alarming Health Risks
Four imprisoned activists linked to the banned UK group Palestine Action persist in their hunger strike, undeterred by serious medical warnings and the recent cessation of fasting by two comrades. Their ongoing protest aims to highlight demands for justice and acknowledgment of their cause.
Determined Protest: four Hunger Strikers Stand Firm
The association Prisoners For Palestine has confirmed that Kamran Ahmed, Heba Muraisi, Teuta hoxha, and Lewie Chiaramello remain committed to refusing food despite mounting health complications. Ahmed, 28 years old, has been hospitalized on three occasions since beginning his fast but continues his resistance.
This quartet insists they will maintain their hunger strike until their grievances receive proper attention.
Key Objectives Behind the Hunger Strike
The activists demand immediate bail alongside a transparent and just trial process. Central to their cause is urging the UK government to rescind its July 2023 classification of Palestine Action as a terrorist entity. They accuse British authorities of enabling alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza through this designation.
Further appeals include lifting restrictions that prevent communication among detainees and shutting down all UK operations run by Elbit Systems-the largest Israeli defense contractor.
Additional Appeals from Those Held on Remand
- abolish non-association orders barring interaction between prisoners;
- Ensure equal access to educational programs available for sentenced inmates;
- Transfer Heba Muraisi from her current northern England prison back to Bronzefield near London for proximity to her support network.
Deteriorating Health conditions Among Participants
Lewie Chiaramello follows an intermittent hunger strike due to diabetes-consuming food every othre day-but suffers symptoms including dizziness, confusion, and weakness according to reports from Prisoners For Palestine.
The defendants face charges related to break-ins at an Elbit factory near Bristol and an RAF base in Oxfordshire last year where military aircraft were spray-painted; they deny accusations such as burglary and violent disorder connected with these events.
Temporary Halt in Fasting Due To Severe Medical Decline
This sustained defiance comes after two prisoners paused their strikes following critical health deterioration. Twenty-year-old Qesser Zuhrah ended her fast after 48 days because of intense abdominal pain described as “agonizing.” Her condition worsened when prison staff delayed ambulance access for over 18 hours before hospitalization-a delay that triggered protests outside the facility lead by MP Zarah Sultana.
“We will undoubtedly resume our fight with empty stomachs in the new year,” Zuhrah declared upon pausing her strike after losing nearly 13% of her body weight according to legal representatives.
An additional participant, Amu Gib, resumed eating after debilitating effects left them wheelchair-bound with cognitive difficulties such as brain fog impairing daily function.
Political Criticism Highlights Alleged Government Neglect
Zarah sultana condemned what she termed “the cruelty” displayed by a Labor government seemingly indifferent toward prisoner welfare amid this crisis. She lauded Zuhrah’s and Gib’s bravery while calling for immediate bail release for all involved activists.
Sultana emphasized that those still fasting remain at grave risk but continue withholding nourishment until conditions improve, UK complicity ends, and Palestinian liberation gains global recognition.
Pursuit of Judicial Accountability Against Authorities
The detainees’ legal counsel recently sent a pre-action letter signaling intent toward High Court proceedings if Justice Secretary david Lammy fails to engage directly regarding welfare concerns within prisons housing these activists.
This step reflects increasing pressure on officials amid growing international scrutiny over human rights issues both within British detention centers and geopolitically concerning israel-Palestine relations.
