Palestine Action protesters taking part in a prison hunger strike are likely to die in custody, their lawyers warn.
Eight activists are involved in the strike in total with five now in hospital and one losing 10kg after 37 days without food.
Imran Khan & Partners, representing the prisoners, have requested to meet with Justice Secretary David Lammy to discuss the situation.
In a letter, they wrote: ‘We note with genuine and significant concern the immediate and real risk that their deeply held conviction, in tandem with their deteriorating health, poses to their lives.
‘We are concerned that, should this situation be allowed to continue without resolution, there is the real and increasingly likely potential that young British citizens will die in prison, having never even been convicted of an offence.’
Four of the protesters on hunger strike, thought to be the biggest in the UK since 1981, are accused of being involved in the raid on a UK branch of Israel‘s Elbit Systems Horizon near Bristol in August 2024.
A prison officer was allegedly left with a fractured spine after the incident, a court heard.
The other strikers allegedly broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged two military planes.
Palestine Action protesters taking part in a prison hunger strike, including Kamran Ahmed, pictured left, and Jon Cink, right, are likely to die in custody, their lawyers warn
Imran Khan & Partners, representing the prisoners, who also include Teuta Hoxha, pictured left, and Amy ‘Amu’ Gardiner-Gibson, right, have requested to meet with Justice Secretary David Lammy to discuss the situation
Heba Muraisi, pictured left, and Qesser Zuhrah, right, are also participating in what is believed to be the UK’s largest hunger strike since 1981
In the aftermath of the incident, Palestine Action said two of its activists infiltrated Britain’s largest RAF base and sprayed red paint into the engines of two Airbus Voyager aircraft before escaping without being caught.
Lawyers claim the activists are also being hit with heavy restrictions on visits, calls and mail and this could amount to enforced disappearance, citing claims from UN special rapporteurs.
Amy ‘Amu’ Gardiner-Gibson and Jon Cink, reportedly 37 and 33 days into their hunger strikes respectively, have been remanded in HMP Bronzefield, Surrey for their alleged roles in the Brize Norton break-in.
Ms Gardiner-Gibson has lost more than 10kg of weight, according to lawyers, and is experiencing muscle twitches and deep exhaustion and has been offered a wheelchair.
Mr Cink has allegedly lost 10kg and barely slept over the course of the strike, suffering from deteriorating vision and ‘life-threatening’ ketone levels in her blood.
Lewie Chiaramello, 15 days in at HMP Bristol, and Umer Khalid, on day five at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, London, are also alleged to have been involved in the Brize Norton raid.
Qesser Zuhrah, who has been involved in the strike for 37 days while at HMP Bronzefield, has apparently lost ‘considerable weight’.
The activist also struggles to walk and her pulse never drops below 100bpm, according to her lawyers.
Some of the strikers are accused of allegedly breaking into RAF Brize Norton and damaged two military planes, pictured
Heba Muraisi is believed to have caught a cold on the 34th day of her 36-day hunger strike at HMP Newhall.
Teuta Hoxha and Kamran Ahmed were both taken to hospital last month following headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath and low blood pressure.
They are on day 30 and day 29, respectively, of strikes at HMP Peterborough.
Mr Ahmed collapsed twice in his cell in November and was most recently admitted to hospital on Monday, Sky News reports.
The hunger strike started following complaints of alleged mistreatment in prison as well as a string of demands, including the ban on Palestine Action being lifted and a defence firm with ties to Israel being shut down.
Courts granted permission for the group’s founder Huda Ammori to challenge the move to proscribe the organisation under anti-terror laws, meaning three High Court judges will rule on the ban’s lawfulness in the coming weeks.
Lawyers added that it is becoming increasingly difficult to talk to clients about the state of their health because ‘all are showing signs of memory loss’.
The strike was described as an ‘imminent risk to their health and life and a ‘medical emergency’ in a previous letter to NHS England, signed by 147 medical professionals.
Protesters in Liverpool pictured holding banners in support of the hunger strikers last week
Ms Ammori described the protesters’ conditions as an ’emergency’.
She said on social media: ‘Their health is severely deteriorating, with one described as “skeletal”.
‘Each face up to two years on remand before trial and face harsher treatment as they are labelled as “terrorists”. This is an emergency.’
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: ‘The Deputy Prime Minister has responded to and will continue to respond to correspondence on this issue, and is being kept informed of the situation.
‘We continually assess prisoners’ wellbeing and will always take the appropriate action, including taking prisoners to hospital if they are assessed as needing treatment by a medical professional.’