At 1am on 7 January, hunger striker Kamran Ahmed, who is being held on remand at HMP Pentonville, was taken into hospital. Ahmed had results from an ECG which showed abnormal readings and was transferred to hospital with his next of kin being notified soon after.
Ahmed taken to hospital again
Since being on hunger strike Ahmed has now been hospitalised six times. The gaps between hospitalisation are becoming shorter as time passes. Ahmed enters his third month as he reaches day 59 of being on hunger strike.
Counter-terrorism police arrested Ahmed in a violent dawn raid on 19 November 2024. During the raid police also denied food and medication to Ahmed’s elderly parents for hours.
He was then remanded to prison after being charged with a non-terrorism related offence on allegations of being connected to the Filton action, which saw over £1 million in damage caused to Elbit Systems’ research centre for Israeli weapons, making him one of the Filton 24.
During his time in prison, Ahmed’s fundamental rights have been consistently abused by the prison, including restrictions on visits and mail, being arbitrarily subjected to isolation and limited access to the prison library.
Heba Muraisi remains on hunger strike and is now on 66 days of hunger striking. The public have been quick to strike a parallel with 66 days marking the day Bobby Sands died from being on hunger strike at the hands of the British state. Muraisi has expressed an increase in sensation of feeling as though she is holding her breath and needing to remind herself to breathe.
T Hoxha, who previously was on hunger strike, began re-feeding on Saturday. She has been taken into hospital but friends and family are unaware of her whereabouts and currently unable to contact her.
Sultana speaks up for hunger strikers
As parliament resumed on 7 January, masses gathered outside, protesting for the hunger strikers and for the government to respond. Zarah Sultana MP provided the following statement:
Kamran Ahmed is at imminent risk of death. Today, on day 59 of his hunger strike, he has been hospitalised for the sixth time. In 1981, two of the ten IRA hunger strikers in British prisons died before reaching day 59. Two more died before day 61, and by day 73 all ten had passed away.
Teuta Hoxha has also been hospitalised after ending her hunger strike yesterday, on day 58. She, too, is at imminent risk of death, and may be suffering complications related to re-feeding syndrome.
The demands of the hunger strikers are entirely reasonable. They should not be in prison at all. They pose no threat to the public, have been held well beyond the standard 182-day pre-trial custody limit, and there is no justification for denying them bail.
This is a political choice. It is an attempt by Keir Starmer’s Labour government to punish them before their cases go to trial – because the government knows a jury may well find that their actions were legal under the 1971 Criminal Damage Act, as previous juries have recognised that preventing genocide can constitute a lawful justification for property damage.
Keir Starmer and David Lammy must act now to save Kamran’s life. They must secure immediate bail for Kamran, Teuta and for all Palestine prisoners being held on remand beyond the pre-trial custody limit. Time is running out. If they do not act swiftly, this Labour government will have yet more blood on its hands.
Legal representatives IKP have sent another correspondence to request a meeting with David Lammy immediately. They’ve reiterated the grave danger and critical nature of the state of the hunger striking prisoners. The letter outlines the hunger strikers’ commitment to seeing this hunger strike through even with the added risks now that time has passed.
Prisoners for Palestine’s Francesca Nadin states:
As the hunger strike reaches a critical stage, and the longest hunger striker has not eaten for over 2 months, we are extremely concerned about the hunger strikers’ health and wellbeing.
It is an absolute disgrace that the government is determined to shoot itself in the foot by showing once again its lack of basic humanity and regard for both international law and the rights of its citizens.
To save face, they would rather let these innocent young people die than simply have a meeting with us to discuss this situation. Yes, despite what some may think, they are innocent, until proven guilty. Locked up for indefinitely on remand without even a criminal conviction, they have been forced into drastic action to make their voices heard.
Anyone with common sense and a conscience should be up in arms about their situation, the justice system has utterly failed them and all of us.
Featured image via Prisoners for Palestine
By The Canary
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