Statement on hunger strikes
/The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers calls for Justice Secretary David Lammy to meet immediately with representatives of the prisoners on hunger strike awaiting trial on charges connected with direct action protest against arms sale to Israel.
Some of the strikers have been refusing food for over a month and a half and are at imminent risk of death. As of today, 18 December 2025, Qesser Zuhrar and Amu Gib (aka Amy Gardiner-Gibson) are on day 47 of hunger strike; Heba Mueasi is on day 46. In the 1981 IRA hunger strikes, Martin Hurson died on his 46th day without food. Yesterday Qesser Zuhrar became at least the sixth hunger striker to be hospitalised, following reports that she is unable to stand. Calls from protestors outside the prison, first for medical care and subsequently for an ambulance, were ignored for over 14 hours.
Legal representatives of the hunger strikers wrote to David Lammy on 10 December 2025 requesting an urgent meeting about the safety of the detainees, warning of a risk of irreversible harm to health. They have received no response to date. Lammy has also ignored interventions from MPs including John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana. Calls for Justice Minister Jake Richards to meet with the families of the strikers were met with laughter in the House of Commons.
By the time the strikers stand trial - in some cases in 2027 - they will all have been held in custody for over a year, well in excess of the legal maximum custody time limit of six months. All the strikers have been refused bail. The strike is a response to the weaponisation of counterterror law - including proscription - and the prison system to clamp down on the right to protest and take direct action against a genocide.
The strikers’ primary demands are:
End all censorship of their communications inside prison;
Immediate release on bail;
Ensure their right to a fair trial through disclosure of all relevant documentation relating to their cases;
De-proscribe Palestine Action and end the Prevent strategy;
Shut down all UK sites of Elbit Systems Ltd, Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer.
The Haldane Society urgently calls for David Lammy to meet with Qesser Zuhrah, Amu Gib, Heba Muraisi, Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed and/or their representatives before any of those on strike lose their lives. If he fails to do so, their deaths and any ensuing civil unrest will be on his hands.
Further information and updates about the strikes can be found on their website: https://prisonersforpalestine.org/
