Two Palestine Action-linked detainees end 73-day hunger strike in UK prison
Heba Muraisi and Kamran Ahmed were the last to stop refusing food. Four other detainees ended their hunger strikes last month, while a seventh protester, who abstained from food every other day due to a health condition, has also concluded his protest
Two alleged activists linked to Palestine Action have ended a 73-day hunger strike while being held on remand in prison, their supporters said, bringing to an end a protest by seven detainees over lengthy pre-trial detention.
Heba Muraisi and Kamran Ahmed were the last to stop refusing food. Four other detainees ended their hunger strikes last month, while a seventh protester, who abstained from food every other day due to a health condition, has also concluded his protest, says the BBC.
The detainees began the hunger strike to protest the length of time they have spent on remand ahead of trial, with hearings delayed by up to a year because of court backlogs, according to campaigners.
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The group issued five demands during the protest, including calls for the UK government to lift its ban on Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terror organization in July, to shut down an Israeli-owned defence firm, and to address complaints about prison conditions.
Supporters said Ahmed was taken to hospital in a "very poorly condition" shortly before the hunger strike ended. The detainees, including Teuta Hoxha, Jon Cink, Qesser Zuhrah and Amy Gardiner-Gibson, are now receiving medically supervised re-feeding treatment overseen by doctors.
The Ministry of Justice denied allegations of medical mistreatment. While ministers declined to meet directly with the protesters, the department said it facilitated meetings between detainee representatives and medical staff.
Officials have said decisions on bail and the proscription of organisations are matters for the courts, not the government.
Under human rights law, hunger strikes are recognised as a form of protest, and authorities cannot forcibly feed prisoners who have the mental capacity to understand the consequences of their actions, even if their lives are at risk.
Around 200 hunger strikes take place in prisons each year, and nine people have died following such protests since 1999. The Care Quality Commission has not opened an investigation into the treatment of the detainees involved in this case.
