Prison rights, Elbit’s loss: How the Palestine Action hunger strike ‘won’

Prison rights, Elbit’s loss: How the Palestine Action hunger strike ‘won’ As critically ill activists begin re-feeding in prison, campaigners and an MP say they believe the government made concessions. London, United Kingdom - In the final days of their months-long hunger strike, three young pro-Palestine activists on remand - convicted of no crime - were confronted with their mortality in the confines of their prison cells. Heba Muraisi, 31, who refused food for 73 days, was suffering with a level of pain so severe that sitting felt unbearable. At 49kg (108lb), her body wasting away, there were fears her organs were shutting down. Her memory declined and she had muscle spasms, a sign of possible neurological damage. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 Hunger strike for 70 days: How the body breaks down without food list 2 of 4 The UK is taking political prisoners to evade accountability for genocide list 3 of 4 Writers declare solidarity with prisoners on hunger strike for Palestine list 4 of 4 Three Palestine Action activists end UK hunger strike But until they announced the end of their hunger strikes on Wednesday amid their rapidly collapsing health, Muraisi and prisoners Kamran Ahmed, 28, and Lewie Chiaramello, 23, were determined to continue. A Londoner who worked as a florist and lifeguard, Muraisi told Al Jazeera this week that she had resigned herself to the idea of death but wanted to keep refusing food in protest because she was “finally being heard”. Ahmed, in a statement sent to Al Jazeera, has said ending the hunger strike after 65 days felt “bittersweet”. Chiaramello had fasted every other day, as he is a Type 1 diabetic, for 46 days. ‘I was willing to go the distance’ In total, eight individuals have participated in the protest since early November. Currently, just one remand prisoner, Umer Khalid, continues to refuse food. “I was willing to go the distance,” said Ahmed, who is also from London and had worked as a mechanic. “But others were not willing to see me walk a mile further.” Described by loved ones as having become paper-thin, Ahmed has lost 25 percent of his body weight. His heart muscle has shrunk, he suffers from chest pains and has lost hearing in one ear. His speech was slurring, and walking took so much energy it made him breathless. On Monday, when they last spoke by phone, his sister Shahmina Alam, a pharmacist, urged him to consider ending the strike. “We just knew that it’s coming to a point where it’s really dangerous and actually, the probability of death was very high,” she told Al Jazeera. Alam and physicians consulting the group are concerned that the hunger strikers may have already suffered irreversible health damage, as long-term symptoms related to starvation can take years to show. There are also fears around refeeding, which can be fatal if mismanaged. Ahmed was hospitalised again this week, the seventh time since the protest began. The collective...

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