LETTER: Hunger strikers are being subjected to cruel injustice - at least Barry Gardiner has been willing to speak out.

 

The Hunger Strikers

Dear Editor, 

With the ongoing situation of dangerous inaction, and criminal neglect from the British government in response to the hunger strike, it was refreshing to see Heba Muraisi's MP, Barry Gardiner, speak up for his constituent Heba, in the Houses of Parliament on 7th January 2026.

Heba Muraisi has been on hunger strike since 3 November 2025. Today, she has been on hunger strike for a staggering 73 days, which raises extremely grave and immediate concerns for her life, concerns of the utmost seriousness. She was among the first to go on hunger strike. She has vowed to continue with her hunger strike, and hasn't paused it, even temporarily. This means that, out of the group, she has been on hunger strike for the longest duration. She is at risk of dying suddenly at any given moment. After her prolonged hunger strike, she is at high risk of irreversible physical effects, such as organ failure, neurological damage, hearing loss and sight loss. The UN has issued serious warnings about the hunger strike, confirming what's already known: that the Prisoners for Palestine on hunger strike are at risk of immediate, serious and irreversible physical effects, and sudden death. 

Qesser Zuhrah paused her hunger strike, after severe health complications and hospitalisation, as did Amu Gib, who was also hospitalised, with the risk of organ failure and other acute complications. Umer Khalid, who has muscular dystrophy, paused his hunger strike due to life-threatening effects, but recently restarted his hunger strike, leading to renewed fears for his life and health. Lewie Chiaramello has type 1 diabetes, and is on hunger strike on alternate days, which still carries a very real risk of death. Even when a hunger strike is stopped, the refeeding process can be deadly, if not approached correctly with medical supervision. This means the prisoners who paused their hunger strikes are still not out of the danger zone.

It's been the biggest coordinated hunger strike in prison since 1981. Bobby Sands died after 66 days of hunger strike, in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison, and nine other deaths followed. 

Heba Muraisi began her hunger strike after being moved from HMP Bronzefield, to New Hall Prison in Wakefield, Northern England, without justification or explanation. She is hundreds of miles away from her constituency of Brent, her family and support system. As Barry Gardiner stated in Parliament, Heba's disabled mother can't make the journey to visit her.

Now New Hall has agreed to transfer Heba back to HMP Bronzefield, but the decision remains with Bronzefield as to whether they will accept her transfer. This has led to further, unnecessary delays, as Heba is fighting for her life with every hour that passes, and time is of the essence.

Along with the other individuals known as the Filton24, Heba's demands are as follows:

Immediate bail 

End to all Censorship of Communications in Prison  

Right to a Fair Trial, including disclosure of relevant documents that have so far been kept hidden 

Deproscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation  

Shut Elbit Systems down and all its subsidiaries in the UK 

So far, Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy, has refused to meet with any of the hunger strikers' family members or legal representatives, despite widespread calls that he does so. Shockingly, he's chosen to ignore the hunger strike. He has failed in his duty of care to these prisoners of conscience, and his actions have been nothing short of wreckless, showing arrogant disregard for the lives of the hunger strikers. 

The deterioration of Heba's health, and that of the others currently on hunger strike - Kamran Ahmed, Teuta Hoxha, Lewie Chiaramello, and Umer Khalid, who recently restarted his hunger strike after a brief pause - was fully preventable, had David Lammy and Keir Starmer intervened early on.

Their deaths now seem imminent. But the circumstances leading to their continued hunger strike could have been addressed by the British government, whose actions, or rather inaction, indicate that they would prefer these brave activists to die. These prisoners of conscience have not been convicted of anything. Their loved ones and supporters wake with dread every day, scared that they'll hear the bad news they have died. 

Going on hunger strike must be regarded as the very last resort of prisoners of conscience, whose rights have been denied repeatedly. They have exhausted every avenue available to them, and been met only with discrimination and unlawful treatment. By denying them their fundamental human rights and subjecting them to such cruel injustice, the actions of the British government are tantamount to inflicting murder upon them. The government has had ample opportunity to act, and must be held to account. They are answerable to the public, and their response to this emergency is not simply optional, but a requirement of their roles. 

The hunger strikers ask only for their basic human rights and the government must be compelled to grant them, as the government itself is shamefully breaking the law with regard to these young people, whose lives are hanging by a thread. In a broader sense, the active complicity and participation of the British state in the genocide of Palestinians, is the underlying cause of the avoidable tragedy unfolding with the hunger strikers in UK prisons. 

Barry Gardiner has shown himself to be one of the few MPs of conscience who's willing to speak up. We call on him to continue to exert pressure on Keir Starmer and David Lammy, to grant the hunger strikers immediate bail and their other legitimate demands, and uphold their human rights, and the rule of law. David Lammy must meet with the hunger strikers' family members and legal representatives. We request in the strongest terms that Barry Gardiner uses his influence as an MP to raise the concerns that the hunger strikers are at immediate risk of death, and immediate action must be taken by the UK Government to prevent their deaths.

We also call on all people of conscience to write to their local MPs, even if they've already done so, to highlight the urgent need to take action to save the lives of the hunger strikers, before it's too late.

Saba Chaudry

(Address supplied)

Barry Gardiner MP raises the case of hunger striker constituent Heba Muraisi in Parliament

Given previous coverage of calls for Barry Gardiner to act, this is the Hansard record of an exchange in the House of Commons yesterday;

Barry Gardiner MP

 

Happy new year to you, Mr Speaker. Delays in the court system mean that one of my constituents has been in prison on remand awaiting trial for over a year. She is in New Hall Prison, 200 miles away from her mother, who is disabled and cannot make that journey. She has requested a transfer to Bronzefield Prison, so her mother can visit. Today, Heba Muraisi is close to death because she has been on a hunger strike protest for 67 days. I plead with the Leader of the House to let common sense and humanity prevail, to urgently intervene to agree the transfer, and to consider allowing her release on bail to her family home in my constituency—

 

(Speaker intervened warning Barry Gardiner: Order: ‘We have to be very careful. You are getting into the details, and I cannot afford that. Have you finished?’. Gardiner accepted the ruling)

Sir Alan Campbell for the Government

 

If my hon. Friend gives me the details of the case—I am talking about where the person concerned is currently—I will raise that with the Justice Secretary. On the wider point, we continually assess prisoners’ wellbeing and will always take appropriate action, including taking prisoners to hospital if their situation requires that. If he raises the issue with me, I will not only draw it to the attention of the Justice Secretary but make sure he gets the assurances that he and the family need.

Ask Barry Gardiner & Dawn Butler to intervene on behalf of their constituents on hunger strike

 

 

From Prisoners4Palestine

 

Sign Early Day Motion to help your constituent on a hunger strike in British prison

 

Dear [MP NAME], 

My name is [X] (Y address). I am writing as your constituent to call on you to immediately sign the Early Day Motion ‘Palestine Action hunger strike’ to respond to the ongoing hunger strikes of seven prisoners held on remand for alleged actions in solidarity with Palestine. Qesser Zuhrah, Heba Muraisi (Barry Gardiner) and Lewie Chiaramello (Dawn Butler) are your constituent/s - you have a duty to their health.

 

The hunger strike began on 2nd November and is now entering its second month.

 

5 prisoners have already been hospitalised. During their hospitalisations, they were prevented from contacting their next of kin and legal team, which is a breach of their fundamental rights.

 

We support all of the hunger striking prisoners’ demands. We call on you to grant them immediate bail and the right to a fair trial, and we express grave concern for their rapidly deteriorating health and their reported mistreatment in prison. We also ask for the full disclosure of documentation surrounding their legal case which has so far been censored. 

 

As Member of Parliament you have a duty to your constituent, to ensure their safety and upholding their fundamental rights, and we demand you act without delay.

 

Kind regards, [Name, address - need your residential address or it will not get processed]

 

There is also an e-action on the prisoners from the Palestine Solidarity Camapaign HERE

Write to your MP: Sign the EDM on prisoners on hunger strike in Britain

Seven prisoners associated with Palestine Action are currently on hunger strike in protest over the repressive and inhumane conditions of their detention in British prisons. Their health is deteriorating quickly, so they need urgent intervention.

These prisoners are facing trial for allegedly taking action to prevent arms manufacturers from shipping weapons to Israel, used in its genocide against the Palestinian people. It is the perpetrators of genocide, and the British politicians and companies arming them, who should be facing trial.  

John McDonnell MP has tabled Early Day Motion (EDM) 2386 calling on the Secretary of State for Justice to intervene and make sure the prisoners' conditions are improved and their rights are upheld. 

Please take two minutes to email your MP to ask them to sign EDM 2386.

Weekend of action over Guantánamo's 100 Days of Shame

Guest blog from Aisha Maniar, courtesy of 'one small window' where it was first published

What does a person have to do to get noticed nowadays? In the twenty first century, enduring more than a decade of torture and arbitrary detention without charge, trial or any prospect of release is not enough. A mass hunger strike, involving the use of torturous force feeding methods, the firing of plastic bullets, and intrusive body searches, such as that currently taking place at Guantánamo Bay, entering its 100^th day on Friday 17^th May, might get you a little further. A life-and-death scenario is what it takes to remind the world of the injustice that is Guantánamo Bay.

The US military has yet to admit the full scale of the situation, with the current numbers reported to be on hunger strike at around 100 of the 166 remaining prisoners and over 30 reported to be force fed, including British residents Shaker Aamer and Ahmed Belbacha. This follows weeks of denial by both the US authorities and the mainstream media, only becoming newsworthy when violence entered the scene on 13 April.

The use of force to quell a hunger strike that arose on 6 February in response to the deteriorating treatment of prisoners, including the use of rubber bullets against them in January, appears to be a counterproductive method of dealing with the issue at hand. There has been no effort whatsoever to engage with or respond to the demands of the hunger strikers or to bring it to an end.

The hunger strike has undoubtedly brought Guantánamo Bay back into the public eye, even prompting Barack Obama to state “I’m going to go back at it [closing Guantánamo] because I think it’s important.” One of the triggers for the mass hunger strike was despair at his failure to keep his promise to close Guantánamo, and the prisoners’ fear that the only real way out is in a coffin.

Perhaps the latest political rhetoric is just a test to see who has been paying attention. In the past few months, Barack Obama has authorised the use of force feeding rather than end the hunger strike, and plastic bullets, which can be fatal. Furthermore, just one week before the hunger strike started, the newly re-elected president closed the office he had opened to work on closing Guantánamo.

The recent debate on Guantánamo Bay has largely recycled old, circular arguments. Congress is allegedly a sticking point, blocking progress on the closure of Guantánamo but may agree to a $200 million renovation of the prison.

The debate on force feeding hunger strikers is non-existent; medical and legal ethics do not allow it. The UN has described the practice at Guantánamo as “torture”. This has not prevented the US from force feeding hunger striking Connecticut prisoner Bill Coleman in the same manner for five years. The issue of possible recidivism in releasing cleared prisoners, a favourite of proponents of Guantánamo, is also moot; one has to have offended in order to reoffend.

Barack Obama once described Guantánamo Bay as a “misguided experiment”, except that on so many levels he knows that is not the case. A successful social experiment in peddling the politics of mistrust and fear, it is perhaps the greatest symbol of the abuse of power this century. The US keeps Guantánamo open because it is expedient, because it can, because it is a two-finger salute to the rest of the world: “screw with us, and you will be next”.

A legal monstrosity exists, yet Barack Obama has long known what he has to do to close Guantánamo. The question is not so much how, but when? Will it take further fatalities of innocent men to come closer to an answer? The situation at Guantánamo has been an emergency for far longer than 100 days. There is no place for rhetoric: there are no popularity contests or elections to be won, just lives to be saved.

If there is a debate to be had, it does not appear to be happening. The same applies to the US’ allies, such as the British government. In a backbench debate in Parliament last month on the case of British resident Shaker Aamer, the Foreign Office gave the same noncommittal answers to relevant questions by MPs it has given for years. It is highly unlikely that Mr Aamer’s case, or the hunger strike, were raised during David Cameron’s visit to Washington earlier this week, in spite of government assurances it is actively pursuing his case.

Hunger strikes are an ultimate act of desperation by those who have no other means to protest injustice. It is a reflection of the clear failure of all those who could make a difference and have not over the past 11 years. Former Guantánamo military prosecutor Colonel Morris Davis stated “A large part of [the] Obama legacy depends on how this issue breaks. It’s his choice to lead or lose.”

The hunger strike has not missed the attention of everyone, and for the past three months, campaigns such as the London Guantánamo Campaign in the UK and organisations such as Witness Against Torture and World Can’t Wait have been holding protests and solidarity actions about an emergency the world would still rather ignore. The hunger strike will enter its 100^th day on 17^th May and shows no sign of ending. Six prisoners have been on hunger strike and force fed for over one year; left to their own devices, they prefer death over indefinite detention. Hunger strikes can be fatal in the longer term; seven of the nine deaths at Guantánamo Bay, allegedly suicides, were prisoners who had previously taken part in hunger strikes.

To mark this 100^th day milestone and given the emergency of this situation, individuals and groups from around the world have come together to organise a weekend of protest on 17-19 May, calling on people to take action and fast for 24 hours if they can. A successful petition with more than 200,000 signatures gathered in around a fortnight put together by Colonel Morris Davis will be delivered to the White House on Friday 17 May. Protests will be held in various cities and towns across the world, with at least five planned across the UK, including a demonstration outside the US Embassy in London. The hacktivist group

Anonymous is also planning online actions over the weekend and others have Twitter storms planned over the three days using the hashtag #OpGTMO. Citizen actions around the world are an opportunity to show solidarity with the hunger strikers in different ways in different places. With lawyers visiting the prisoners reporting their worsening health and physical conditions, later may be too late.

Lucas: Shaker Aamer has to come home