Zarah Sultana: Lammy claim he did not know about Palestine Action hunger strikers is a ‘lie’
British MP Zarah Sultana has said that Justice Secretary David Lammy “lied” when he claimed he did not know about the eight Palestine Action-linked prisoners currently on hunger strike.
Sultana made the comments following a visit on Monday to Qesser Zuhrah, a Palestine Action-affiliated prisoner held at HMP Bronzefield, who has entered the 38th day of her hunger strike.
In footage posted on Instagram, Lammy is seen telling campaigners and the strikers’ families that he did “not know anything” about the prisoners’ cases.
“I’ve written to David Lammy, so the fact he’s saying he doesn’t know about this is a lie,” Sultana told Middle East Eye.
In the video, Shahmina Alam, the sister of one of the strikers, confronted Lammy, saying that he and the Ministry of Justice had failed to respond to a letter alerting them of the planned strike and outlining the participants' demands.
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These include immediate bail and an end to prison interference with their personal communications, as well as the de-proscription of Palestine Action.
The prisoners, who are all accused of involvement in actions connected to Palestine Action before the direct action protest group were proscribed in July, will have been imprisoned for over a year by the time they stand trial.
“We’ve been waiting for you to respond and the Ministry of Justice to respond, there are seven hunger strikers in the UK right now,” Alam told Lammy.
“Well that’s very unfortunate,” he responded.
When presented with the letter, he said: “I didn’t know anything about this."
At the end of the video, Lammy is seen running away as protesters shout after him: “There’s been four weeks of hunger strikes, why have you said nothing?”
'I think the silence around this is deliberate'
- Zarah Sultana, MP
Middle East Eye has asked the Ministry of Justice for comment.
Sultana is the second politician to visit the hunger strikers, following a visit by the Green Party’s Mothin Ali to Bronzefield last week. Jeremy Corbyn was also set to visit the prison on Tuesday.
Sultana condemned the lack of media coverage of the strike, which is deemed to be the most significant since the 1981 Irish hunger strike led by Bobby Sands.
“I think the silence around this is deliberate,” Sultana told MEE. “I think there are editors who refuse to cover this, and they'll use all sorts of reasons as to why, just because they don't want to profile the hunger strike because of it being about genocide.”
Sultana emphasised Zuhrah’s commitment to the hunger strike stems from her deep opposition to the Labour government’s “complicity” in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
“It's important that the demands that Qesser and the [other] seven hunger strikers are listened to by ... David Lammy and by this Labour government,” said the MP, who quit the party in July to set up a new left-wing party alongside Corbyn.
‘Obvious medical neglect’
Fears are mounting over the safety of the hunger-striking prisoners, many of whom have gone a month without food. Five have been hospitalised so far.
The family of Kamran Ahmed, who is being held at HMP Pentonville, reported on Monday that he has been hospitalised for a second time.
In a video posted on Instagram, his sister said that he had been suffering from “progressive dizziness, chest tightness and inability to stay steady when standing”.
“For anyone that treats Kamran, tell him I love him. We all love him and Allah is with him,” she said.
The campaign group supporting the strikers, Prisoners for Palestine (PFP), reported that Ahmed’s ketone levels - which indicate blood acidity - stood at dangerous levels before his hospitalisation.
Ahmed, who launched his strike on 10 November, was first hospitalised weeks ago after he collapsed with low blood sugar levels indicating hypoglycaemia.
Ahmed’s family told MEE that the prison had failed to update the family on his location and physical state, despite multiple emails and calls requesting information.
Friends of two other strikers, Zuhrah and Jon Cink, told MEE that when they were transferred to hospital on 3 December, their next of kin contacts had been changed to HMP Bronzefield and that the family were not notified about their whereabouts.
MEE previously reported that the prison’s medical teams were slow to respond when the prisoners first launched their strikes, initially refusing their repeated requests for electrolytes and medical attention.
PFP said these were eventually granted nine days into the strike. The Ministry of Justice's guidelines for clinical management of prisoners refusing food states that they should be given a "full initial medical assessment".
Joseph Knight, a close friend of Cink, told MEE that he has lost 12 kg since announcing his strike on 6 November.
“He now weighs 47 kilos, which is dangerously low. And the doctors are expressing a lot of concern about his kidney function and kidney strain,” Knight told MEE.
Knight added that Cink was taken to hospital for tests last week to monitor his dangerously high ketone levels.
“There’s been obvious medical neglect by the prison,” Knight told MEE, saying that on Monday the medical team did not test his ketone levels as they did not have the requisite strips to perform the test.
“And the nurse didn’t take his temperature because she didn’t feel like it,” Knight claimed, alleging that medical checks on the strikers have been “inconsistent and changes day by day”.
An HMP Bronzefield and Peterborough spokesperson said they could not comment on individual cases but "we can confirm that all prisoners have full access to meals".
‘Hospitalisation is imminent’
Meanwhile, PFP told MEE that the remaining prisoners’ health is rapidly deteriorating as those who began the strike hit 38 days without food.
Amu Gib, who is also imprisoned at Bronzefield and launched their strike alongside Zuhrah on 2 November, has lost over 10 kg and is suffering from deep exhaustion.
Heba Muraisi, who is held at HMP New Hall and joined the strike on 5 November, fears that “hospitalisation is imminent”.
PFP told MEE that the prison had refused her multiple requests for masks and winter clothing, and that she developed a cold as a result.
Teuta Hoxha, who is held at HMP Peterborough and launched her strike on 9 November, was hospitalised on 27 November.
According to PFP, she is experiencing dangerously low blood pressure and breathlessness, and fears that she will be imminently hospitalised again.
Lewie Chiaramello, who is held at HMP Bristol and has been without food for 15 days, is reported to have sugar levels fluctuating from very high to low due to his diabetes.
The prison doctor expressed concerns about the long-term implications for Chiaramello’s health, PFP said.
Umer Khalid, who is imprisoned at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, has already noted a decrease in his mobility despite being just five days into his strike.
PFP reported that he is “struggling to sit up”, experiencing a “lot of pain”, and "deteriorating much faster than expected”. The group said that he has not received his medical checks yet.
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