Senior United Nations human rights experts have issued a stark warning to the United Kingdom, expressing "grave concern" for the welfare of several prisoners on hunger strike and suggesting their treatment may violate international law.
Prisoners' Protest and Deteriorating Health
The situation involves eight individuals awaiting trial for alleged offences connected to the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action, which was later proscribed under terrorism legislation. The protest began when Qesser Zuhrah, 20, and Amu Gib, 30, incarcerated at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, initiated a hunger strike on 2 November. They were joined the following day by Heba Muraisi, 31, at HMP New Hall.
Other participants include Teuta Hoxha, 29, Kamran Ahmed, 28, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, who is refusing food on alternate days due to his diabetes. Zuhrah and Gib temporarily ceased their strike on the evening of Tuesday 23 December due to severely declining health, but have pledged to resume the action in the new year.
UN Experts Condemn State's 'Duty of Care'
In a powerful statement released on Friday, a coalition of UN special rapporteurs, including experts on peaceful assembly and the Palestinian territories, raised the alarm. They emphasised that "hunger strike is often a measure of last resort" and stated unequivocally that "the state’s duty of care toward hunger strikers is heightened, not diminished."
The experts called for authorities to ensure immediate access to hospital care when needed and to refrain from any retaliatory measures. Their intervention follows serious allegations about the prisoners' medical access. The group Prisoners for Palestine claimed that on Tuesday, an ambulance was denied entry to HMP Bronzefield for Qesser Zuhrah, who was reportedly writhing in pain on her cell floor. She was later hospitalised after protests outside the prison.
Legal Pressure and Government Caution
The health crisis is escalating. As of Sunday, three of the prisoners – Zuhrah, Gib, and Ahmed – were in hospital simultaneously, with Ahmed having been admitted three times since his protest began. The UN statement warned that "preventable deaths in custody are never acceptable" and that the state bears full responsibility for those it detains.
On Monday, lawyers for the hunger strikers sent a legal letter to Justice Secretary David Lammy, accusing him of failing to follow Ministry of Justice policy by refusing to meet with the prisoners' families and supporters. While there is understood to be concern within government about the prisoners' condition, officials are also exercising extreme caution to avoid setting a precedent, given the large number of individuals currently held on remand due to court backlogs.
The UN experts concluded that the reports "raise serious questions about compliance with international human rights law", including obligations to prevent inhuman treatment, and stressed that "urgent action is required now."
