Five Palestine Action prisoners awaiting trial have been taken to hospital as a result of hunger strikes, lawyers representing them told the justice secretary in a letter shared with Sky News.
A total of eight prisoners are currently taking part in the action, thought to be the UK’s biggest hunger strike since 1981, with two now on day 38 without food, according to the letter.
It says prisoner Kamran Ahmed has been on hunger strike for 31 days, having spent a year on remand awaiting trial, and that he has been taken to hospital twice since collapsing in his cell on November 21. Sky News understands his latest admission was on Monday evening.
His sister Shahmina Alam told Sky News her family fears “the worst call”.
“I don’t sleep through the night because I’m constantly anticipating a call – the worst call you can get,” she said, holding back tears. “I feel like that’s the only point when we’re going to receive any information about how he’s doing. I’m having palpitations all the time.”
Asked what the worst call is, Shahmina says: “That he hasn’t made it.
Kamran is charged with aggravated burglary, criminal damage, and violent disorder, after an alleged August 2024 break-in at a site near Bristol used by Elbit Systems UK, an Israel-based weapons manufacturer.
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Shahmima told Sky News that Kamran, 28, was an emergency on-call mechanic before his arrest in November 2024. She added that his lengthy imprisonment is taking a toll on their parents.
She said: “I found my dad with a puffy face for the last two mornings because he’s been crying. My mum seems lost. A lot of us are just broken apart. We’re shattered, physically and mentally. There’s an element of constantly being on edge because we don’t know what’s happening to him.
“Everyone’s immediate reaction when they hear a family member is in hospital is to go and see them, speak to them, see how they’re doing and give them comfort, and we’ve been restricted from that.”
The letter from law firm Imran Khan & Partners criticises prison conditions and warns of a “real and increasingly likely potential that young British citizens will die in prison, having never been convicted of an offence”.
It describes Qesser Zuhrah, on day 38 of her strike, as having a pulse rate above 100 beats per minute despite next to no physical activity. Amy Gardiner-Gibson, also on day 38, is described as experiencing twitching in her muscles and being offered a wheelchair due to her inability to walk.
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Qesser Zuhrah faces the same charges as Kamran, for the same alleged incident.
Amy Gardiner-Gibson is alleged to have participated in a break-in at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire in June this year. She is charged with conspiracy to commit criminal damage, and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place knowingly for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK.
The letter says Kamran Ahmed has been in hospital repeatedly with dangerous ketone levels after collapsing on 21 November and that he suffers with dizziness, shallow breath and a tightness in his chest. Mr Ahmed has lost over 10 kilograms in weight, it adds.
“He collapsed in his cell,” Shamima told Sky News. “He is not sure how long he passed out for, but he hit his back and head on the metal frame of his bed.”
“When he was hospitalised he was allowed one call. He sounded really emotional on the phone but it seemed like he wasn’t able to talk about anything else or had been instructed not to talk about anything else. Since then, we haven’t heard from him and haven’t been able to get any updates on him.”
Criticising the lack of engagement from the government, Labour MP John McDonnell raised a point of order in the House of Commons on Wednesday saying that the justice secretary had failed to respond to previous letters on the matter.
He said: “This is a matter of urgency and I would’ve expected at least the courtesy of some response even if he’s not willing to meet us.” Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle responded: “It is totally unacceptable.”
Palestine Action told Sky News that all eight prisoners on hunger strike are accused of offences occurring before the group was proscribed and will have been in prison for well over a year before they are tried. A judicial review challenge to the proscription has concluded with judges reserving their decision until a later date.
MP and co-founder of Your Party, Jeremy Corbyn, told Sky News that Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy rejected his invitation to meet to resolve the matter by saying “considering the ongoing proceedings, it would not be appropriate for me to meet with you to discuss the situation.” The response forwarded to Sky News by Mr Corbyn also assures him “the safety of those who live and work in our prisons remains our paramount concern”.
Sky News has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.
