Two Palestine Action hunger strikers taken to hospital amid fears they could die

Two hunger-striking prisoners affiliated with the British pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action have been taken to hospital, according to a family member and a friend, amid mounting concern over the deteriorating health of the young Britons refusing food in protest and fears they could die at any moment.

Amu Gib, 30, who was being held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey while awaiting trial, is on day 50 of his hunger strike. Gib was provided with a wheelchair on Friday and taken to hospital on Saturday.

Twenty-eight-year-old Kamran Ahmed, who is being held at Pentonville prison in London, was hospitalized on Saturday, his sister, Shahmina Alam, said. He is on day 42 of his hunger strike.

“It’s day 42 [of Ahmed’s hunger strike], and at this point, there’s significant risk of organ damage,” said his sister, Alam. “We know that he’s rapidly been losing weight in the last few days, losing up to half a kilogram [1.1lbs] a day.”

Ahmed’s last recorded weight was 60kg (132lbs).

The two are the latest of eight prisoners who have been admitted to hospital since the hunger strike action began on Balfour Day, November 2, according to the prisoner-led collective Prisoners for Palestine.

The group warned that the hunger strikers will die unless there is urgent government intervention.

“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 politicization of their detention,” the collective said.

‘Dying is worth it,’ says UK Palestine Action hunger-striker facing risk of death

Kamran Ahmed, who has been on hunger strike for 42 days, says the protest is worth the risk of death.

It is understood Gib is currently on remand over alleged involvement in a break-in at Brize Norton Air Base of the Royal Air Force in Oxfordshire in June, during which military aircraft were sprayed with paint.

He is one of three Palestine Action-affiliated prisoners held at HMP Bronzefield, alongside Amy Gardiner-Gibson and Qesser Zuhrah, the latter also having been hospitalized.

Ahmed and Gib reject the charges, such as burglary and violent disorder.

According to the activists, the charges are driven by political motives and aimed at suppressing dissent against the UK government’s support for the Israeli regime.

A group of British lawmakers, among them former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, has reached out to the prisons inspectorate to voice concerns about what they consider inconsistent and unreliable treatment of hunger-striking detainees.

Corbyn, who represents Gib’s constituency and has visited him in custody, co-signed a letter with MPs John McDonnell and Barry Gardiner.

“As they near their eighth week on hunger strike, their treatment remains inconsistent and unreliable,” the letter read.

The legislators urged the government to take immediate action and ensure increased transparency concerning the medical care and legal rights of detainees.

Lawyers advocating for the prisoners have also voiced criticism of Justice Secretary David Lammy for declining to meet with them to address concerns about the prisoners’ health and treatment.

In an earlier letter endorsed by over 50 MPs, Lammy was asked to cooperate with the legal teams representing the detainees.

“Our inquiries have either gone unanswered or met with vague reassurances that policies and guidelines are being followed,” the letter said. “Meanwhile, prisoners and their families continue to report daily that this is not the case.”

Liberated Palestinian prisoners express support for hunger-striking peers in UK

Liberated Palestinian prisoners express support for hunger-striking prisoners in UK jails.

The hunger strikers’ demands include immediate bail, the right to a fair trial, and the de-proscription of Palestine Action, which condemns the UK government over complicity in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. 

The protesters have called for an end to their censorship in prison, with authorities restricting access to mail, phone calls, and books.

Additionally, they are urging the closure of all subsidiaries of Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems on British soil.

In July, the UK government banned Palestine Action under the “Terrorism Act,” citing the group’s actions against companies associated with Israel’s military industry.

The organization has centered a significant portion of its campaign on Elbit Systems UK, stating that the company provided weapons to the Israeli military during the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Following the group’s ban, hundreds of individuals across the United Kingdom have been arrested for protesting against the measure.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir