UN experts have voiced “grave concern” regarding the treatment of several hunger strikers affiliated with Palestine Action in UK prisons, signaling potential breaches of international human rights laws. Eight individuals, awaiting trial for alleged offenses linked to Palestine Action before the group’s proscription under terrorism legislation, have undertaken hunger strikes, drawing significant international scrutiny.

Among the hunger strikers are Qesser Zuhrah, 20, and Amu Gib, 30, both held at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, who commenced their protest on November 2 and continued until December 23. Heba Muraisi, 31, incarcerated at HMP New Hall, joined the strike on November 3. The group also includes Teuta Hoxha, 29, Kamran Ahmed, 28, and Lewie Chiaramello, 22, who, due to managing diabetes, is refusing food every other day. According to a statement from the Prisoners for Palestine group, Zuhrah and Gib temporarily ceased their hunger strike on Tuesday evening due to declining health, but have committed to resuming the protest in the new year.

On Friday, a collective of UN experts, including Gina Romero, the UN special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, issued a strong statement. They expressed profound alarm at the conditions and treatment of the hunger strikers, underscoring that “Hunger strike is often a measure of last resort by people who believe that their rights to protest and effective remedy have been exhausted. The state’s duty of care toward hunger strikers is heightened, not diminished.”

The severity of the prisoners' health status was highlighted when, on Sunday, three of the hunger strikers—Zuhrah, Gib, and Ahmed—were simultaneously hospitalized. Ahmed, in particular, has required hospital admission three times since beginning his hunger strike. The experts emphasized the state's responsibilities: “Authorities must ensure timely access to emergency and hospital care when clinically indicated, refrain from actions that may amount to pressure or retaliation, and respect medical ethics.”

Further exacerbating concerns, Prisoners for Palestine, a prisoner-led collective in Britain, reported that the Prison Service allegedly denied ambulance entry to HMP Bronzefield for Zuhrah on a Tuesday afternoon. This occurred despite her being unable to stand and writhing in pain on her cell floor. She was eventually transferred to a hospital only after external protesters gathered outside the jail demanding urgent medical intervention. The UN experts affirmed that such reports “raise serious questions about compliance with international human rights law and standards, including obligations to protect life and prevent cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” adding that “Preventable deaths in custody are never acceptable. The state bears full responsibility for the lives and wellbeing of those it detains. Urgent action is required now.”

In response to the escalating situation, families and supporters of the hunger strikers appealed to David Lammy, the justice secretary, for a meeting. Lawyers representing the group dispatched a legal letter, asserting that Lammy’s refusal to meet constituted a failure to adhere to the Ministry of Justice’s internal policy on managing hunger strikes. While there is understood to be government concern regarding the prisoners' condition, there is also extreme caution about establishing a precedent for such meetings, particularly given the large number of prisoners facing lengthy remand periods due to existing court backlogs.