UK: Pro-Gaza hunger striker hospitalised for the sixth time as health severely deteriorates

Kamran Ahmed, one of the three pro-Palestine activists still on hunger strike while in detention in the UK, has been hospitalised for the sixth time, with medical visits becoming more frequent.

He has now been hunger striking for 60 days to demand bail and the right to a fair trial.

Ahmed, part of the Filton 24, was taken to hospital after an abnormal ECG reading and his health is reportedly “severely deteriorated”, with intermittent hearing loss in his left ear, and a low pulse (bradycardia).

He is also suffering from constant chest pains, his representatives said in a letter to Secretary of State for Justice David Lammy.

The representatives also added that Ahmed experiences breathlessness and dizziness whenever he moves, noting “it was incredibly difficult to take instructions from him over the telephone, given his rapidly deteriorating condition”.

Ahmed was arrested when his home was raided on 19 November and charged with a non-terrorism-related offence, accused of being connected to the Palestine Action protest at Elbit Systems’ research centre in Filton that caused over £1 million in damages.

Prisoners4Palestine, the organisation representing the pro-Palestine prisoners, have accused HMP Pentonville, the prison Ahmed is being held in, of “consistently abusing” his fundamental rights. They say that his visits and mail have been restricted and he has been placed in isolation, with limited access to the library.

UK Justice Secretary David Lammy has refused to meet with the hunger strikers, ignoring calls from the activists' families as well as politicians such as Your Party’s Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana,

Ahmed’s sister, Shahmina, confronted Lammy in December, with the minister claiming he was unaware of the hunger strikers.

Out of the eight activists originally on hunger strike, only three have persisted, with Heba Muraisi protesting for the longest at 67 days. This is longer than IRA prisoner Bobby Sands, who died after 66 days on hunger strike in 1981.

Muraisi has constantly needed to remind herself to breathe, having experiences as if she were holding her breath. At the time of publication, Teuta “T” Hoxha began refeeding on Saturday after being taken to the hospital; however, her friends and family are currently unaware of her whereabouts.