Three UK Palestine Action activists on prolonged hunger strike face critical health risks while held on remand, prompting warnings from doctors, MPs, and rights groups.
Jan 10, 2025
Three activists linked to the UK-based Palestine Action movement are facing life-threatening health complications after sustaining prolonged hunger strikes while being held on remand, raising mounting concerns from medical professionals, lawmakers, and human rights advocates.
According to reports published on Saturday, one of the hunger strikers, Kamran Ahmed, 28, was hospitalized earlier this week after suffering heart-related complications on the 58th day of his protest. His family confirmed to Sky News that Ahmed has been admitted to the hospital multiple times since beginning his hunger strike in early November.
Another detainee, Heba Muraisi, 31, has now gone more than nine weeks without food, losing over 10 kilograms and reportedly experiencing extreme fatigue, nausea, headaches, and persistent pain that has disrupted her sleep. Friends who have visited her in prison told Sky News that she is acutely aware that her physical condition is deteriorating rapidly and that organ failure is a real and imminent risk.
A third activist, Lewie Chiaramello, is also continuing the hunger strike. Together, the three represent the final participants in what supporters describe as the most sustained coordinated prison hunger strike in the UK in decades.
Solidarity with the Palestine hunger strikers. Make no mistake, the govt is killing them. pic.twitter.com/IAPjfRuase
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) January 10, 2026
Demands linked to remand, proscription, and arms complicity
The hunger strike is being carried out by activists affiliated with Palestine Action, a direct-action network that targets British facilities linked to Israeli arms production. The detainees are demanding immediate bail, transfers to prisons closer to their families, and an end to the group’s designation under UK counterterrorism legislation. They are also calling for the UK government to cease cooperation with companies supplying weapons to “Israel.”
All three detainees are being held on remand and have not been convicted of any crime. Their arrests relate to alleged property damage and break-ins at sites connected to Elbit Systems, including its UK subsidiary in Bristol and a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire. It is important to note that the alleged actions occurred before Palestine Action was formally proscribed.
In July, the UK government designated Palestine Action a terrorist organization, a move that criminalized membership and support, carrying potential prison sentences of up to 14 years. The decision followed a high-profile protest at RAF Brize Norton, where activists damaged refueling aircraft and accused the base of facilitating Israeli military operations via Cyprus.
Absolutely mental how little there has been about the ‘Palestine Action’ hunger strikers in the British media.
The same media who have spent more than two years “both siding” a genocide and “balancing” reports by quoting people who try to justify the mass murder of children. pic.twitter.com/MzXnkp6mS4
— Ciaran Tierney (@ciarantierney) January 8, 2026
Medical warnings, political pressure
Medical experts have warned that the hunger strikers have entered a critical phase where irreversible damage or death is possible. Dr. David Nicholl, a neurologist who has studied prison hunger strikes for decades, told Sky News that prolonged starvation can cause lasting neurological harm and that refeeding after extended fasting carries the risk of fatal complications.
These concerns have prompted political intervention. A letter signed by 50 Members of Parliament urged the government to act “with humanity,” warning that independent physicians believe the detainees’ lives are now in serious danger.
In a post on X, Green Party MP Carla Denyer said the detainees have been held on remand for periods far exceeding standard limits, despite not facing terrorism charges. She accused authorities of misusing counterterrorism powers to justify extended detention and harsher prison conditions.
The Palestine hunger strikers have been on hunger strike for over 60 days and are close to death.
They have not even been convicted of a crime – they are being held on remand (pre-trial) for more than twice the max time allowed, and counting…🧵
— Carla Denyer (@carla_denyer) January 8, 2026
‘Process as punishment’
Legal experts and campaigners argue that the case reflects a broader pattern described as “process as punishment,” whereby prolonged remand, isolation measures, and restrictive prison regimes are used to suppress political dissent. According to official figures, suicide rates among remand prisoners are significantly higher than among sentenced inmates.
The detainees are reportedly being held under enhanced security conditions, including limited communication, restricted access to reading materials and prison facilities, and long-distance transfers that prevent regular family visits.
UK prison officials have insisted that medical care is being provided and that decisions regarding remand are made independently by the courts. However, critics argue that the government’s refusal to engage with the detainees’ demands risks turning an already difficult situation into a fatal one.
Nonetheless, the hunger strikers have affirmed that they will continue their protest until meaningful action is taken, as warnings grow that time may be running out.
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