‘Increasingly likely potential’ of Palestine Action hunger strikers dying

London, United Kingdom – Lawyers and loved ones of hunger strikers linked to the protestation radical Palestine Action are informing the activists could dice successful situation arsenic they impeach British situation officials of a deficiency of attraction and connection and the justness caput of ignoring their demands for a meeting.

Of 29 Palestine Action-affiliated remand prisoners held implicit their alleged engagement successful break-ins astatine the UK subsidiary of the Israeli defence steadfast Elbit Systems successful Bristol and a Royal Air Force (RAF) base successful Oxfordshire, 8 are connected hunger onslaught crossed 5 prisons, including 2 who person refused nutrient for 44 days. Five person been hospitalised.

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“At immoderate infinitesimal now, you could person a telephone telephone to get the astir unfortunate news,” Shahmina Alam, whose 28-year-old brother, Kamran Ahmed, joined the protestation 36 days ago, told Al Jazeera.

Ahmed returned to Pentonville situation successful London connected Thursday aft having been hospitalised for a 2nd time.

“When he’s successful prison, it’s a spot easier due to the fact that he’s making regular telephone calls,” she said. “But erstwhile helium goes into hospital, the transportation cuts due to the fact that the situation stops america from communicating astatine all.”

But Alam’s alleviation erstwhile Ahmed called connected Thursday was short-lived.

The doc who treated Ahmed told him that “he volition present commencement to decline” and expected him to beryllium hospitalised for a 3rd time, Alam said.

Having entered situation astatine a steadfast value for his height, 74kg (163lb) and 180cm (5ft, 11 inches), Ahmed has mislaid much than 10kg (22lb) and has dangerously precocious ketone levels.

“He sounded tired,” Alam said. “He’s got ulcerations successful his mouth, truthful erstwhile he’s talking, you tin archer it’s rather achy for him to talk. Like his rima sounds similar it’s full.

She added: “We’re astatine a constituent wherever it’s precise unsafe territory.”

Ahmed, who worked arsenic a car mechanic, was arrested by counterterrorism constabulary successful a dawn raid successful November 2024, 8 months earlier Palestine Action was proscribed arsenic a “terrorist organisation“. He is charged with aggravated burglary, transgression harm and convulsive upset implicit his alleged engagement successful the break-in astatine the Elbit tract months earlier. He volition person spent much than 20 months successful situation by his trial, which is acceptable for June 2026.

Palestine Action has accused the UK authorities of complicity successful Israeli warfare crimes successful Gaza and said it is “committed to ending planetary information successful Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”.

On December 9, lawyers of the remand prisoners wrote to David Lammy, the justness secretary, requesting an urgent meeting.

“There is the existent and progressively apt imaginable that young British citizens volition dice successful prison, having ne'er adjacent been convicted of an offence,” the instrumentality steadfast Imran Khan & Partners wrote successful the missive seen by Al Jazeera. “As the Secretary of State for Justice, you are successful the unsocial presumption of being capable to code their concerns … earlier it becomes excessively precocious to debar the decease of 1 oregon much of our clients.”

Of Ahmed, the steadfast wrote: “He feels incredibly dizzy, particularly erstwhile standing. He has suffered from tightness successful his thorax and shallow breath.”

Alam accused the Prison Service of failing to update the household connected Ahmed’s wellness information and is disquieted that helium is not being observed intimately enough.

At the clip of publication, the Ministry of Justice had not responded to Al Jazeera’s petition for comment.

The protestation is said to beryllium the largest coordinated hunger onslaught successful UK prisons since 1981 erstwhile Irish Republican inmates led by Bobby Sands refused food.

The demands of the pro-Palestine hunger strikers see contiguous bail, the close to a just proceedings and the de-proscription of Palestine Action. They are besides calling for each Elbit sites to beryllium closed.

‘Crisis constituent for activists’

Qesser Zuhrah, 20, and Amu Gib were the archetypal to spell connected hunger onslaught 44 days ago. They are accused of engagement successful the Elbit and RAF action, respectively.

Zuhrah, who has mislaid 13 percent of her assemblage weight, precocious mislaid consciousness and was hospitalised, according to reports. Her friends and advising doctors told Middle East Eye that situation authorities person refused to supply accusation regarding her condition.

Gib has mislaid much than 10kg and indispensable prevarication down astir of the time due to the fact that she suffers from exhaustion. She has been offered a wheelchair, her lawyers said, “due to her inability to walk”.

“Reports that Palestine Action activists connected hunger onslaught person been hospitalised owed to earnestly deteriorating wellness nonstop chills down the spine,” Amnesty International UK said. “This is situation constituent for these activists – prosecutors indispensable driblet the allegations of a ‘terrorism connection’ successful these cases and extremity immoderate excessively lengthy pre-trial detention.”

Lammy has yet to respond to the lawyers’ requests for a meeting.

In parliament past week, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle told Labour MP John McDonnell, who has written to Lammy astir the hunger strikers, that it was “totally unacceptable” of ministers to neglect to respond to correspondence.

Pressure mounted further connected Lammy erstwhile respective days ago, Alam confronted the justness caput portion helium was attending a Christmas lawsuit successful London. Video footage shared connected societal media shows her presenting a missive to him and explaining her family’s concerns. He tin beryllium seen responding, “I don’t cognize thing astir this,” and aboriginal asks, “In the UK?”

Their speech was “deeply concerning”, Alam said.

“It made maine consciousness much sick, knowing that the radical who are successful a presumption to assistance extremity this hunger onslaught are not engaging.”