The image shows posters of Teuta Hoxha and Qesser Zurah (also spelled Qesser Zuhrah), who are activists affiliated with Palestine Action and have been on a prolonged hunger strike in UK prison. Photo: The Bristol Cable/file photo.
A serious crisis is rapidly unfolding inside UK prisons as eight Palestine Action-Affiliated activists held on remand continue a prolonged hunger strike (the biggest in the UK since 1981), that has already forced five of them into hospital. Lawyers warn that the group, detained under “terrorism charges,” are being left to face death while government officials remain silent.
Legal representatives from Imran Khan & Partners Solicitors have appealed directly to Justice Secretary David Lammy, urging an emergency meeting before the activists’ health “deteriorates beyond possible recovery.” With two prisoners now around day 40 without food, lawyers say they are suffering severe symptoms including shortness of breath, memory loss, blurred vision, and rapid physical decline. All eight are being held in prolonged pre-trial detention, which could stretch to two years due to court delays, despite none being convicted.
The hunger strikers have issued five demands they insist they will continue to pursue regardless of the risks. Three relate directly to their legal conditions: an end to the censorship of their communications, immediate bail, and the disclosure of documents detailing alleged Israeli state and corporate influence in their prosecutions. The remaining demands are: the de-proscription of Palestine Action, which the UK labelled a terrorist organization in July, and the complete shutdown of Elbit Systems’ UK operations. Elbit, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, supplies most of the drones used in Israel’s military campaigns; Palestine Action has long targeted its UK sites.
As the hunger strike enters a potentially fatal stage, pressure is mounting on the Justice Secretary and The Crown Prosecution Service to intervene.
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Human rights organizations say the crisis stems from the UK’s extreme misuse of counter-terror legislation. Amnesty International UK warned the situation has reached “crisis point,” accusing prosecutors of stretching terrorism laws far beyond their intended purpose. Amnesty’s Kerry Moscogiuri described the activists as “victims of the UK’s excessively broad terrorism laws,” which she said have transformed ordinary protest actions into terrorism cases and threaten the rights to expression and assembly for all.
As the hunger strike enters a potentially fatal stage, pressure is mounting on the Justice Secretary and The Crown Prosecution Service to intervene. Without immediate action, Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Kamran Ahmed, Jon Cink, Teuta Hoxha, Heba Muraisi, Lewie Chiaramello, and Muhammad Umer Khalid continue to face the risk of death as per medical opinion. Any consequences of the prisoners’ mistreatment and neglect would rest squarely on the government’s refusal to engage with their demands or address the escalating concerns over political repression.
