Palestine Action hunger strikers launch legal action against government

Palestine Action hunger strikers launch legal action against UK government Lawyers of the group threaten court proceedings as top ministers refuse to meet them to discuss the protesters’ welfare. London, United Kingdom - Lawyers of imprisoned hunger-striking activists linked to the protest group Palestine Action have put the British government on notice as the justice secretary refuses to meet them. Imran Khan & Partners, which represents the collective, wrote a pre-claim letter to the government on Monday, warning that they would seek a High Court case should officials fail to respond by Tuesday afternoon. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 UK police arrest four people for pro-Palestine ‘Intifada’ calls list 2 of 4 Vigil in London for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel list 3 of 4 Two Palestine Action hunger strikers in UK prisons admitted to hospital list 4 of 4 Palestine Action hunger strikes: What are their demands? Eight activists, aged between 20 and 31, have participated in a rolling strike that began on November 2. There are rising fears that one or more of them could soon die in jail. In recent days, their relatives and loved ones have told Al Jazeera of their deteriorating health and repeated hospital admissions . Their lawyers have long called for a meeting with Justice Secretary David Lammy to discuss welfare and prison conditions, believing such an intervention could be life-saving . But the government has so far refused, saying hunger strikes are not an unusual phenomenon in prisons and that policies to provide adequate medical care to anyone refusing food are being followed. “Our clients’ food refusal constitutes the largest co-ordinated hunger strike in British history since 1981,” the lawyers wrote, referring to the Irish Republican inmates led by Bobby Sands. Sands and nine others died of starvation, one on day 46 of the protest. “As of today’s date, [the current] strike has lasted up to 51 days, nearly two months, and poses a significant risk to their life with each passing day,” the lawyers wrote. The detainees are being held in five prisons over their alleged involvement in break-ins at the United Kingdom’s subsidiary of the Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems in Bristol and a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire. They deny the charges against them, such as burglary and violent disorder. Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha and Kamran Ahmed are on day 52, 51, 45 and 44 of their protests, respectively. Lewie Chiaramello, who is diabetic and refuses food every other day, began his protest 30 days ago. Qesser Zuhrah, Jon Cink and Umer Khalid have ended their strike. All eight will have spent more than a year in prison before their trials take place, well beyond the UK’s usual six-month pre-trial detention limit. The hunger strikers’ five demands include immediate bail, the right to a fair trial and the de-proscription of Palestine Action, which accuses the UK government of complicity in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza. The UK government banned Palestine Action...

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