More than fifty Members of Parliament and peers have made a direct appeal to Justice Secretary David Lammy, urging him to meet with representatives of a group of hunger-striking prisoners or face potentially fatal consequences. Lawyers for the inmates, who are linked to the activist group Palestine Action, have issued a stark warning that their clients' lives are in imminent danger without ministerial intervention.
Health in Rapid Decline as Strike Continues
Solicitors from Imran Khan & Partners wrote to Lammy last week requesting an urgent meeting, stating their clients' health was deteriorating to a point beyond any possible recovery. A follow-up letter criticised the Justice Secretary's reply for failing to directly address their plea for a discussion.
The situation is now critical. Two protesters, Amy Gardiner-Gibson and another individual, have reached day 45 of their fast. This is just one day short of the point at which IRA hunger striker Martin Hurson died in 1982. A third protester, Qesser Zuhrah, is on day 44.
Medical emergencies are already occurring. Zuhrah, held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, recently experienced uncontrollable leg shaking, collapsed for hours, and drifted in and out of consciousness. An ambulance was only called after a full night of her begging for hospital treatment, during which she was sick inside the vehicle. Gardiner-Gibson is reported to be exhausted, with test results showing dangerously low white and red blood cell counts and signs of cognitive decline.
Prisoners' Demands and Alleged Mistreatment
The prisoners, who will have been in custody for over a year before their trials begin, are demanding immediate bail, an end to the ban on Palestine Action, and the lifting of restrictions on their communications. Their legal team has laid out a series of serious allegations regarding their treatment in prison, including:
- Mail, calls, and visits being restricted on spurious grounds.
- Legal mail being opened unlawfully.
- Access to books being blocked.
- Inmates being removed from prison jobs for vague "security reasons".
- Non-association orders being imposed between the defendants.
- Inadequate or delayed medical observations since the hunger strike began.
Of the eight original hunger strikers, two—Jon Cink and Umer Khalid—are understood to have ended their protest. The others continuing include Heba Muraisi (day 44), Teuta Hoxha (day 38), Kamran Ahmed (day 37), and Lewie Chiaramello (day 12), who has diabetes.
Political Pressure Mounts on Justice Secretary
The political pressure on David Lammy is intensifying. The cross-party group of over 50 parliamentarians has written to him, urging a meeting with MPs representing the strikers' families or their lawyers to "act to prevent a catastrophe".
In the House of Commons, independent MP Jeremy Corbyn directly asked Justice Minister Jake Richards for a meeting, only to be met with a simple "no". Laughter from some MPs in response prompted Corbyn to post on social media that they should be "ashamed".
Last week, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle also criticised Lammy, calling it "totally unacceptable" that he had failed to reply to a meeting request from Labour MP John McDonnell on the issue.
The lawyers' letter to Lammy concludes with a direct challenge: "You are uniquely placed... to bring about a resolution... We cannot see any reason why you would not want to engage in this process."
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson responded, stating: "We continually assess prisoners’ wellbeing and will always take the appropriate action... HMPPS has assured ministers that all cases of prisoner food refusal are being managed in accordance with the relevant policy and with appropriate medical assessment and support, consistent with prisoner rights."
