Four Palestine Action starvation strikers pledge to proceed, households say | EUROtoday

Four protesters in jail for alleged offences regarding the Palestine Action group have pledged to keep up their starvation strike, their households have stated.

Eight activists initially went on starvation strike whereas awaiting trial for alleged break-ins or prison injury, with 4 nonetheless sustaining their protest.

Four of the group are accused of taking part in roles within the break-in at Israeli-linked defence know-how firm Elbit Systems UK and are because of go on trial in May subsequent yr on the earliest.

The different 4 are accused of breaking into RAF Brize Norton in June, the place it’s alleged that they sprayed pink paint into two RAF Voyager planes inflicting hundreds of thousands of kilos value of injury.

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Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib each paused their starvation strike this week after well being issues. Lawyers for the eight have stated that they might die if the protest continues.

Those nonetheless refusing meals are Teuta Hoxha, Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed and Lewie Chiaramello, based on the help group Prisoners for Palestine.

Muraisi has gone with out meals for greater than 50 days, in accordance a tracker publicised by the group. And Ahmed and Hoxha have each been on starvation strike for greater than 45 days. Chiaramello is fasting intermittently because of an underlying well being situation.

Ahmed’s sister Shahmina Alam advised Sky News that her brother’s “spirit is strong” regardless of the growing hazard of going with out meals. She stated: “The prison has moved him to cells closer to the nurse’s station to ensure he’s able to have his vitals managed and respond to any emergency situations.

“Kamran is still determined. He feels this is the only way to exercise his demands.”

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Hoxta’s sister Rahma stated that she was shedding an “enormous amount of weight”. She stated Hoxta was struggling to speak, has a relentless headache and has been having coronary heart palpitations.

The protesters, who’ve known as for a terror ban on the group Palestine Action to be lifted, have threatened authorized motion towards the federal government.

A authorized agency representing the starvation strikers stated that it submitted a pre-action letter on Monday towards the justice secretary David Lammy. The letter requires a response inside 24 hours, saying the difficulty is a “matter of urgency”, as “our clients’ health continues to deteriorate, such that the risk of their dying increases every day”.

It additionally requires an pressing assembly with Mr Lammy. Support group Prisoners for Palestine advised The Independent that there was no response from the federal government thus far.

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Ahmed, 28, who was being held at Pentonville Prison in London, and Gib, 30, who was being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, have been each admitted to hospital up to now week after refusing meals.

Last Thursday, emergency doctor Dr James Smith advised journalists a number of the activists “are dying” and want specialist medical assist.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson stated: “We strongly refute these claims.

“We need these prisoners to just accept help and get higher, and we is not going to create perverse incentives that may encourage extra individuals to place themselves in danger by starvation strikes”.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said the “guidelines and procedures” are being followed, after facing questions in the Commons about why his ministers had refused to meet with representatives of those striking.

Prisons minister Lord Timpson has previously said the service is “very skilled” at dealing with hunger strikes and has “strong and dealing” systems in place and the Prison Service “is not going to be assembly” any prisoners or their representatives.