OVER 800 doctors, legal experts, and family members have signed an open letter urging Justice Secretary David Lammy to meet to save the pro-Palestine hunger strikers’ lives, currently on day 47 of hunger strike.
On Thursday, Prisoners for Palestine held a press conference where Dr James Smith, A&E doctor and Lecturer at UCL, discussed the open letter spearheaded by him in order to pressure the government’s intervention in the case.
The letter came after the emergency situation Wednesday, where 20-year-old Qesser Zuhrah was refused an ambulance for more than 12 hours, prompting MP Zarah Sultana and two doctors to camp out outside HMP Bronzefield overnight, demanding the prison provide an ambulance. They refused to leave until this was done.
Dr James Smith said: ‘The hunger strikers are dying … The shackling of prisoners when in hospital, even when using toilet facilities, this is something I have never seen or experienced in my time as a medical professional.
‘It is my view that the government are presently harming these individuals. It is imperative that David Lammy meets with the hunger strikers and their families.’
Rahma Hoxha, sister of T Hoxha currently held at HMP Peterborough, said: ‘I don’t think people realise how serious this is, as on day 35 you risk brain damage, organ failure and heart attack. Today, she’s on day 40. I don’t want to lose my sister, I don’t want to imagine my life without her.’
Qesser Zuhrah’s next of kin, Ella said: ‘Qesser has been on hunger strike now for 47 days. This means she is 12 days into the final stage of starvation and 7 days into the period where death can occur at any time. Qesser is only 20 years old and has been held in prison for over a year without trial. All she wants is to go home and for this government to stop manufacturing genocide. She has so much life left to live – please let her live.’
PM Keir Starmer was asked about the hunger strikers at PMQs Wednesday, where he responded by saying the government was following rules on hunger strike.
University and College Union (UCU) yesterday, 19 December, issued a ‘statement on hunger strikers’ calling for their release.
It said Qesser Zuhrah ‘is one of five prisoners still on hunger strike, protesting at their treatment at the hands of the government and Britain’s involvement in defence contracts with Israel …
‘As a union, UCU believes in justice and the right to protest, we want to add our voices to those calling for these prisoners to be bailed and allowed to spend their first Christmas in two years with their families …
‘Qesser’s health is rapidly deteriorating and we call on the government to see sense and act now before it’s too late.’
Meanwhile, Labour House of Commons Leader Sir Alan Campbell has denied the government is out to break the pro-Palestine hunger strikers.
In Thursday’s adjournment debate in the House of Commons, Independent MP for Blackburn Adnan Hussein said: ‘Remand is not punishment, it is not meant to break bodies. Yet we are witnessing conditions so severe that these young people feel driven to risk death.’
Campbell responded: ‘The welfare and wellbeing of prisoners, whether they are on hunger strike or not, are absolutely central to the Prison Service and to ministers’ minds.’