A chilling fear grips Shahmina Alam as she speaks of her brother, Kamran Ahmed, currently engaged in a hunger strike that has stretched beyond a month. It’s a fear that transcends worry, settling into a desperate plea: “I just pray that he’s not going to be somebody who loses his life.” The stakes are terrifyingly high, with the looming specter of irreversible organ damage – heart failure, brain damage, even a coma – all preventable, she insists, if only the government would engage.
The conditions Kamran faces within the prison walls are described as deliberately degrading. During a recent hospital stay, a stark reality unfolded: he was double-handcuffed, both arms secured, then further restrained with a single cuff attached to a guard. And, unbelievably, he was forced to wear a banana suit during this ordeal. His sister reveals that the humiliation is compounded by a deliberate deprivation of normalcy; hospital visits, meant for healing, are now dreaded for their stark contrast to the limited comforts of his cell.
Kamran is one of six individuals – Qesser Zurah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha, and Lewie Chiaramello – protesting their prolonged pre-trial detention, exceeding the UK’s six-month limit. Their hunger strike began as a desperate act of defiance against what they perceive as injustice, stemming from their alleged involvement in pro-Palestine activism targeting defense companies and an RAF base. Two others initially joined the protest but have since ended their strikes.
The situation is rapidly escalating into a crisis. Dr. James Smith, an A&E doctor and lecturer, delivered a stark warning at a recent press conference: “The hunger strikers are dying.” He expressed profound shock at the practice of shackling prisoners even while they are receiving medical care, a practice he has never witnessed in his career. He believes the government is actively causing harm.
The desperation reached a critical point when Qesser Zuhrah, just 20 years old, was transferred to hospital after 47 days on hunger strike. Supporters, including MP Zarah Sultana, rallied outside HMP Bronzefield, demanding urgent medical attention. The scene descended into skirmishes with police as an ambulance finally arrived, a delay Sultana attributes to a government enabling “genocide in Gaza” and now, she claims, “enabling the deaths of Palestine solidarity hunger strikers.”
A letter signed by over 500 health professionals has been submitted, urgently calling for political intervention on medical and humanitarian grounds. Supporters emphasize the gravity of the situation, stating that the strikers have already lost a significant percentage of their body weight and are “nearing the point of no return.” Their protest, now in its second month, is the largest of its kind since 1981.
Beyond immediate medical concerns, the hunger strikers are demanding fundamental changes: an end to censorship, unrestricted access to mail and books, a review of their security categorization, and ultimately, bail and a fair trial. Jeremy Corbyn, who has sent a letter signed by over 50 MPs and Peers, expressed his dismay at the government’s refusal to engage, describing the response as “contemptible.”
The Ministry of Justice maintains it cannot comment on individual cases, asserting that prisoners’ wellbeing is continually assessed and appropriate action is taken, including hospital treatment when deemed necessary. However, the accounts from those directly involved paint a disturbing picture of a system seemingly indifferent to the escalating crisis, leaving these individuals to risk their lives in a desperate plea for justice.
