Sister of Palestine Action-linked prison hunger striker says she fears for his life | UK news
The sister of one of six hunger strikers affiliated with the Palestine Movement said she feared any meeting with him would be her last and that ministers were waiting for them all to be hospitalized or “worse” before contacting them.
Two of those who refused the food were hospitalized last week, and concerns are growing for their safety as the ongoing hunger strike enters its second month on Tuesday.
Shahmina Amal, whose 28-year-old brother Kamran Ahmed was hospitalized on November 25, condemned the government’s failure to respond to her demands. These include immediate bail, ending the ban on Palestine Action, and ending communication restrictions.
“The hunger strike has entered its fourth week and we have not received any response from the interior minister and the Ministry of Justice, leading to a sense of frustration, anger and deep-rooted sadness,” Amal said.
“If I start thinking too much, I fall apart. Every time I talk to him, I say: This could be our last conversation. Do you want them all to be hospitalized before the government decides to respond, or worse?”
The 33-year-old pharmacist said his hospitalization was made worse because his family was not informed about his brother’s condition. “I couldn’t sleep all night,” he said. “I was experiencing panic attacks and palpitations throughout the day. My job was so concerned about my ability to perform my duties that I was placed on caregiver leave.”
He said he had spoken to his brother shortly before speaking to the Guardian. Although he was no longer in the hospital, he told the guard the entire time he was handcuffed, his ketone levels started to rise again and his sugar levels dropped.
He also said that doctors at the hospital told him that his blood was acidic and he had developed an arrhythmia. “I don’t want to get another call from him saying an ambulance is taking him away [to hospital]said Amal.
Ahmed, who is being held in Pentonville Prison in London, started a hunger strike on 10 November. He joined Teuta Hoxha in Peterborough prison, who began refusing to eat on November 9 and was hospitalized on Thursday; Jon Cink at Bronzefield prison in Surrey on 6 November and Heba Muraisi at HMP New Hall, starting on 5 November. The first two prisoners to go on hunger strike were Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib, also at Bronzefield, on 2 November.
They are all accused of participating in protests before Palestine Action was banned and will remain in prison for more than a year before being tried. The legal challenge to the ban on the direct action group ended on Tuesday, with the judges deferring their decision to a later date. Tuesday’s hearing included more than two hours of closed hearings that excluded plaintiff Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori.
Ella Moulsdale, 21, described as Zuhrah’s “loved one” while she was in prison, said: “Her energy is definitely a lot lower and she’s in a lot of pain everywhere, especially her joints. I think everything is a huge effort for her because she doesn’t really have the fuel in her body.”
“Mentally he is still very strong, amazing and very impressive. He is very determined that all his demands are met and continues as long as his body will allow him, but it is extremely difficult to watch his body slowly deteriorate.”
“I’m absolutely very scared, but at the same time I’m very proud of him. No one wants to make that choice, but I completely understand why he came to this point, took this action, because it’s not just a way to regain his autonomy there.” [jail]but it’s also a way to struggle.
The hunger strike is believed to be the largest action in the UK since the hunger strike by IRA prisoners led by Bobby Sands, and both Moulsdale and Amal have referred to this when criticizing the government’s current lack of involvement.
Moulsdale, with whom 20-year-old Zuhrah was at university before she was imprisoned, said ministers’ reaction was “not surprising because in 1981 they allowed 10 of them Irish hunger strikers to starve to death”.
A Prison Service spokesman said: “Any prisoner assessed as requiring hospital treatment is admitted to hospital immediately.”
