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A group of eight remand prisoners currently on hunger strike while awaiting trial over alleged actions linked to Palestine Action have prompted their legal representatives to seek an urgent meeting with government ministers. The lawyers expressed grave concerns in a letter addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, warning of the “real and increasingly likely potential” that the prisoners could die in custody due to their protest.
According to the letter seen by the BBC, two of the detainees have been refusing food for 37 days, with five having required hospitalisation at various points. The hunger strike involves prisoners held in five separate prisons, all facing charges related to alleged break-ins or criminal damage attributed to their involvement with Palestine Action, a group recently proscribed under terrorism laws. Four of the accused are charged with participating in a break-in at an Israeli-linked defence company last year, with their trial scheduled for May or later. The other four face allegations of breaking into RAF Brize Norton and causing extensive damage to two military jets.
Legal representatives for six of the prisoners — Qesser Zuhrah, Amy Gardiner-Gibson, Jon Cink, Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha, and Kamran Ahmed — indicate that each has been refusing food since early November, with two striking for 38 days and the rest for at least 30 days. Two additional individuals facing Palestine Action-related charges began their hunger strikes more recently. The letter emphasises the rapid deterioration of the prisoners’ health, noting that five have already been hospitalised during the protest. The strikers’ demands include lifting the ban on Palestine Action and shutting down the defence firm tied to Israel. A High Court ruling on the legality of the ban is anticipated in the coming weeks after the group’s co-founder was granted permission to challenge the home secretary’s decision.
Political figures including MPs John McDonnell and Jeremy Corbyn have voiced frustration that ministers have not provided information regarding the situation. McDonnell revealed that he had written to the Justice Secretary without receiving a response, describing the issue as urgent. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle also criticised the lack of ministerial communication, calling it “totally unacceptable,” although he acknowledged that he could not force a meeting. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice assured that the Deputy Prime Minister is actively monitoring the situation and reiterated that prisoners’ well-being is continually assessed, with appropriate medical treatment provided when necessary. Supporters of the detainees have lodged complaints about their prison conditions, though these allegations have not been independently verified
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