At a presser in London, families, lawyers and doctors representing jailed hunger striking pro-Palestine activists, known as the Prisoners for Palestine, urged Justice Minister David Lammy to resolve the dispute before they “lose their lives.”
Six prisoners, some of whom have been detained without trial for over a year after allegedly attacking an Israeli weapons factory in solidarity with Palestine, remain in an open-ended hunger strike which began on November 2.
This has been described as the biggest coordinated prison hunger strike in UK history since the 1981 H-Block strike in the Northern Ireland.
Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gibb, Heba Muraisi, Jon Cink, Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed and Umer Khalid began hunger striking after the government refused to acknowledge or negotiate on a list of demands they submitted to request better access to family visitors and to be released on bail while they await a trial date.
The government has so far refused to negotiate, leading the activists to adopt the strike which doctors and lawyers working with the prisoners have warned has reached a dangerous stage.
Speaking to press, Dr James Smith, an A&E Doctor and lecturer at UCL, said: “Two of the hunger strikers have now been on hunger strike for 47 days. That is many weeks. Along with several other hunger strikers they are now at a critical stage.
“From a medical perspective, after three weeks the body has exhausted fats stores and begins to break down muscle and organ tissue in order to generate enough energy to maintain vital bodily functions.”
“Thereafter there is a risk that grows with every passing day of sudden, severe and unpredictable body dysfunction. The heart muscle begins to break down, the kidneys are unable to filter affectively, the muscles needed for breathing are compromised, the bodies immune system weakens, and the inability to fight infections can cause rapid sickness and possible death.
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“On this trajectory, to put it simply, the hunger strikers are slowly dying.”
Visibly distressed, Shahmina Alam, the sister of Muslim prisoner Kamran Ahmed, explained to journalists how her family are unable to sleep over daily fear that Ahmed’s condition will become critical.
Last week, Alam was filmed questioning David Lammy at a public gathering about why he and other Labour MPs have failed to respond when asked to address the concerns of the hunger strikers and their family members over their health and treatment in detention.
He claimed at the time that he had not heard about the story and didn’t know anything about the case. A claim which has been rubbished by other MPs including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Hospitalised amid growing protests
On Wednesday, Qesser Zuhrah, the 20-year-old Muslim woman taking part in the hunger strike was taken to hospital after protesters gathered outside the jail where she was being held to demand she receive urgent medical attention.
Zuhrah, who is being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey while awaiting trial, is on day 47 of her hunger strike, making hers one of the longest running strikes.
Prisoners for Palestine, a prisoner-led collective in Britain, said the Prison Service was reported to have denied an ambulance entry into Bronzefield on Tuesday afternoon despite Zuhrah having been unable to stand.
Your Party MP Zarah Sultana and supporters of Zuhrah gathered overnight Bronzefield on Tuesday and demanded she be transferred to emergency care. The Green party peer Jenny Jones later joined the protesters outside the jail warning that Zuhrah’s condition could be life-threatening.
An ambulance eventually arrived after a sustained protest to take her to hospital on Wednesday afternoon.
Prisoners for Palestine said Zuhrah had reported severe chest pain, breathlessness and abdominal and lower back pain.
Responding to accusations, an HMP Bronzefield spokesperson told 5Pillars: “We cannot provide information about specific individuals however, we can confirm that all prisoners have full access to meals.
“Any prisoner refusing food receives regular medical assessment and support from clinicians, as well as being offered mental health support. In addition, all prisoners are managed in line with the policies and procedures governing the entire UK prison estate. This includes specialist multi-agency processes, led by the Government, to assess individual risks and security status. However, if any prisoner has specific complaints, we encourage them to raise them directly with the prison, as there are numerous channels available for addressing such concerns.”
At the presser, Ella, Qesser Zuhrah’s next of kin told journalists: “Qesser has been on hunger strike now for 47 days. This means she is 12 days into the final stage of starvation and 7 days into the period where death can occur at any time. Qesser is only 20 years old and has been held in prison for over a year without trial. All she wants is to go home and for this government to stop manufacturing genocide. She has so much life left to live – please let her live.”
Also in attendance, MPs John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn and Shockat Adam pledged to continue speaking up for the prisoners. McDonnell told press that after failing to get David Lammy to agree to a meeting with MPs on the topic, he had requested a mediator to at least initiate some kind of dialogue which may eventually lead to a direct meeting.
