Palestine Action hunger strikers launch legal action against UK government

London, United Kingdom – Lawyers of imprisoned hunger-striking activists linked to the protestation radical Palestine Action person enactment the British authorities connected announcement arsenic the justness caput refuses to conscionable them.

Imran Khan & Partners, which represents the collective, wrote a pre-claim missive to the authorities connected Monday, informing that they would question a High Court lawsuit should officials neglect to respond by Tuesday afternoon.

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Eight activists, aged betwixt 20 and 31, person participated successful a rolling onslaught that began connected November 2. There are rising fears that 1 oregon much of them could soon dice successful jail.

In caller days, their relatives and loved ones person told Al Jazeera of their deteriorating wellness and repeated infirmary admissions.

Their lawyers person agelong called for a gathering with Justice Secretary David Lammy to sermon payment and situation conditions, believing specified an involution could beryllium life-saving.

But the authorities has truthful acold refused, saying hunger strikes are not an antithetic improvement successful prisons and that policies to supply capable aesculapian attraction to anyone refusing nutrient are being followed.

“Our clients’ nutrient refusal constitutes the largest co-ordinated hunger onslaught successful British past since 1981,” the lawyers wrote, referring to the Irish Republican inmates led by Bobby Sands. Sands and 9 others died of starvation, 1 connected time 46 of the protest.

“As of today’s date, [the current] onslaught has lasted up to 51 days, astir 2 months, and poses a important hazard to their beingness with each passing day,” the lawyers wrote.

The detainees are being held successful 5 prisons implicit their alleged engagement successful break-ins astatine the United Kingdom’s subsidiary of the Israeli defence steadfast Elbit Systems successful Bristol and a Royal Air Force basal successful Oxfordshire. They contradict the charges against them, specified arsenic burglary and convulsive disorder.

Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha and Kamran Ahmed are connected time 52, 51, 45 and 44 of their protests, respectively. Lewie Chiaramello, who is diabetic and refuses nutrient each different day, began his protestation 30 days ago.

Qesser Zuhrah, Jon Cink and Umer Khalid person ended their strike.

All 8 volition person spent much than a twelvemonth successful situation earlier their trials instrumentality place, good beyond the UK’s accustomed six-month pre-trial detention limit.

The hunger strikers’ 5 demands see contiguous bail, the close to a just proceedings and the de-proscription of Palestine Action, which accuses the UK authorities of complicity successful Israel’s warfare crimes successful Gaza. The UK authorities banned Palestine Action successful July, branding it a “terror” group, a statement that applies to groups specified arsenic ISIL (ISIS). The protesters person called for an extremity to alleged censorship successful prison, accusing authorities of withholding mail, calls and books. They are besides urging that each Elbit sites beryllium closed.

‘Engage with each one’

Leading quality rights barrister Michael Mansfield has backed calls for the authorities to intervene.

“It’s a elemental proposition, prosecute with each one,” helium told Al Jazeera. “That’s your occupation [as government], that’s what you’re determination for. You are safeguarding people’s health, payment and life.”

In a missive addressed to Lammy, helium wrote, “Fundamental quality rights successful the United Kingdom are being destroyed successful this quagmire of disinterest and populist politics, the astir important being the presumption of innocence and the close to a just proceedings by means of mentation and owed process.

“There has to beryllium an equality of arms which tin hardly beryllium achieved erstwhile a suspect is held successful oppressive and lengthy periods of remand.”

Families of the prisoners person alleged mistreatment successful prison, saying immoderate detainees person been verbally abused and near without attraction successful unsafe wellness conditions. The Ministry of Justice has denied these accusations and says it cannot remark connected idiosyncratic cases.

“Government takes enactment erstwhile it chooses to,” Mansfield wrote. “There could beryllium nary much due clip than present with the life-endangering protestation by the hunger strikers. The hold is grotesque successful immoderate cases, up to 2 years with proceedings dates being acceptable successful 2027.”

Nida Jafri, a person of hunger striker Amu Gib, plans to present Mansfield’s missive – and 1 of her ain – successful manus to the Ministry of Justice connected Tuesday.

“These radical are connected remand – not convicted, inactive awaiting afloat ineligible process,” reads Jafri’s letter. “They are weak, successful pain, and visibly wasting away. The lack of capable aesculapian reflection oregon humane attraction nether situation oregon infirmary attraction is not lone unacceptable; it breaches cardinal rights to health, dignity, and life.”