Hospitalised UK starvation striker’s relative ‘left in agonising silence for 57 hours’
Palestine Action activist Amu Gib has been on hunger strike for 50 days and taken to hospital but a close relative says they’ve been “left completely in the dark” about Gib’s condition
A jailed Palestine Action campaigner who has gone without food for 50 days has been rushed to hospital amid fierce criticism of how the prison and government are handling the crisis.
Amu Gib is being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, facing charges for breaking into RAF Brize Norton and spray-painting two RAF Voyager aircraft in solidarity with Palestine Action.
Prisoners for Palestine say that Gib’s condition has “deteriorated rapidly” since beginning the hunger strike on November 2, with the activist now hospitalised and requiring wheelchair assistance.
The campaign group accused the prison of “initially refusing” to provide Gib with a wheelchair, causing them to miss a crucial GP appointment, and withholding the essential vitamin thiamine “for days”.
READ MORE: Two Palestine hunger strikers hospitalised in UK after 40 days without foodREAD MORE: Minister challenged over pro-Palestine hunger strikers as medic warns they might die
Gib is said to have finally been given a wheelchair on Friday before being rushed to hospital on Saturday. A HMP Bronzefield spokesperson said: “We cannot provide information about specific individuals however, we can confirm that all prisoners have full access to healthcare, including attendance at external medical facilities if needed.
“Any prisoner refusing food receives regular medical assessment and support from clinicians, as well as being offered mental health support. In addition, all prisoners are managed in line with the policies and procedures governing the entire UK prison estate. This includes specialist multi-agency processes, led by the Government, to assess individual risks and security status,” they concluded.
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A close relative of Gib is quoted as saying: “Since 10am on Friday we haven’t heard a thing. We are being left in the dark completely, we wouldn’t know if Amu is in a coma or had a heart attack. I’m the next of kin and it’s on Amu’s medical record that I am to be contacted in the event of their hospitalisation.
“But its been complete agonising silence for 57 hours. I’m furious and outraged that the prison was withholding thiamine from the hunger strikers, without which they are at high risk of brain damage.”
Fellow hunger striker Qesser Zuhrah has also been admitted to hospital. Since the protest began on November 2, seven inmates in total have required hospital treatment.
Prisoners for Palestine issued a stark warning: “At this trajectory, the hunger strikers will die unless there is urgent intervention by the Government. It is completely unacceptable and deliberately negligent to pretend the hunger strike is not happening, or to dismiss the prisoners’ demands.”
The group placed responsibility squarely on authorities: “They are in the custody of the state, and any harm that comes to them is a deliberate outcome of the Government’s negligence and the politicisation of their detention.”
Along with Gib and Zuhrah, four additional prisoners facing charges connected to alleged break-ins or criminal damage on behalf of Palestine Action before the organisation was proscribed under terrorism legislation are maintaining their hunger strike.
Earlier this month, campaigners Jon Cink and Umar Khalid called off their 38-day and 12-day hunger strikes due to health concerns. According to Prisoners For Palestine, both required hospital admission and have subsequently been returned to custody.
The prisoners’ demands include immediate bail, fair trials, and the closure of Elbit Systems’ UK sites. Their legal team, Imran Khan and Partners, has warned Foreign Secretary David Lammy that “young British citizens will die in prison, having never even been convicted of an offence.”
Lord Timpson, the Prisons minister, tells The Mirror that while very concerning, “hunger strikes are not a new issue for our prisons.”
“Over the last five years, we’ve averaged over 200 a year and we have longstanding procedures in place to ensure prisoner safety,” he said. “Prison healthcare teams provide NHS care and continuously monitor the situation. HMPPS are clear that claims that hospital care is being refused are entirely misleading – they will always be taken when needed and a number of these prisoners have already been treated in hospital.
“These prisoners are charged with serious offences including aggravated burglary and criminal damage. Remand decisions are for independent judges, and lawyers can make representations to the court on behalf of their clients.
“Ministers will not meet with them – we have a justice system that is based on the separation of powers, and the independent judiciary is the cornerstone of our system. It would be entirely unconstitutional and inappropriate for Ministers to intervene in ongoing legal cases.”
As stars like The Pogues and Kneecap join the call for intervention, the Ministry of Justice maintains that the protest is “unacceptable” and that prisoner health is being managed according to policy. However, with each passing hour, the “point of no return” draws closer.
The Mirror has reached out to David Lammy, Wes Streeting, and Keir Starmer for comment, but no response was received at the time of publication.
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