Two people held on remand in connection with Palestine Action protests have ended a 73-day hunger strike, their supporters said on Wednesday. The detainees, Heba Muraisi and Kamran Ahmed, stopped refusing food at the prisons where they are being held while awaiting trial. Supporters said Ahmed had been taken to hospital earlier on the same day in a very poor condition and both are now receiving medical refeeding supervised by doctors. The action follows earlier withdrawals by four other hunger strikers and comes amid questions over long remand waits caused by court backlogs.
Key takeaways
- Duration: The collective hunger strike lasted 73 days before Muraisi and Ahmed ended their protest on Wednesday.
- Individuals: The two who stopped on Wednesday are Heba Muraisi and Kamran Ahmed; four others in the same cohort ceased their strikes last month.
- Medical care: Supporters say the pair and four others have received supervised refeeding treatment following clinical guidelines for hunger strikes in custody.
- Hospitalisation: Ahmed was reported to have been taken to hospital earlier on Wednesday in a very poor condition.
- Cause: Protesters were objecting to prolonged time on remand ahead of trials that may be up to a year away due to unprecedented court backlogs.
- Related figures: The UK records around 200 hunger strikes a year in prisons and nine deaths from hunger strikes since 1999.
- Official position: The Ministry of Justice has not publicly commented on the specific action over the last two months and denies claims of medical mistreatment; the Care Quality Commission said its experts spoke with prison medical staff.
Background
Palestine Action is a campaign group that has been the focus of government attention and legal scrutiny in the UK. In recent months a number of alleged activists connected to the group were detained on remand as they await trial; their lawyers and supporters say remand periods have been extended by a backlog in the courts. The detained group staged a coordinated hunger strike starting in early November to press five demands, including that the government reconsider a ban on the organisation and that complaints about prison conditions be addressed.
Under UK law and medical guidance, hunger strikes in custody present a complex intersection of healthcare, human rights and criminal justice. Prison healthcare teams must balance respect for an inmate’s autonomy with clinical duty, and forcible feeding is generally restricted to cases where a prisoner lacks mental capacity. The Ministry of Justice, independent judges and external regulators such as the Care Quality Commission are key actors in how such incidents are managed.
Main event
Supporters issued a statement on Wednesday saying Muraisi and Ahmed had stopped refusing food in their respective prisons, bringing to an apparent close the five-person coordinated strike that had continued for 73 days. The BBC and supporters report that Ahmed was taken to hospital earlier on Wednesday in a very poor condition; supporters say doctors have since begun clinical refeeding for him and others. Four detainees who began the strike with Muraisi and Ahmed ceased their protest last month and have already received supervised nutritional treatment.
The group had set out five demands during the protest, including the lifting of a proposed ban on Palestine Action, the closure of an Israeli-owned defence firm named in their complaints, and improvements to prison conditions and treatment. The ban on the organisation was under separate judicial consideration by senior judges at the time of the protest. Government ministers do not determine remand decisions, which are made by judges.
Ministers declined to meet the hunger strikers directly but offered to help arrange meetings between the protesters representatives and independent medical professionals inside prisons to explain the care being provided. The protesters accepted that offer about two weeks after it was proposed. The Ministry of Justice has strongly denied allegations of medical mistreatment and said it would not comment on ongoing cases; the Care Quality Commission confirmed its experts had spoken with medical staff at HMP Bronzefield, one of the prisons involved.
Analysis & implications
The end of the 73-day strike reduces immediate clinical risk to the individuals involved, but it leaves open broader legal and policy questions about remand practice and prison healthcare. Long remand periods can be driven by systemic court delays; defendants who face trials many months away may use protest tactics to draw attention to perceived injustices, placing pressure on multiple institutions simultaneously. The government’s role is constrained by judicial independence on remand and bail decisions, which limits direct ministerial remedies for the demonstrators demands.
From a healthcare perspective, multiple detainees requiring supervised refeeding tests prison medical capacity and oversight arrangements. Refeeding after prolonged starvation carries medical risks that require experienced clinical teams and clear protocols; the Care Quality Commission engagement suggests regulatory attention but not necessarily a formal investigation. The incident will likely prompt renewed scrutiny of clinical governance in custodial settings and whether existing safeguards are adequate for prolonged protests.
Politically, the strike underscored tensions between protest rights and national security concerns tied to the proposed ban on Palestine Action. Judges considering the ban and courts managing related prosecutions will now do so against a backdrop of heightened public attention. If the campaign succeeds in elevating the issue, it could influence how police, prosecutors and prisons manage protest-linked cases going forward, though any legal change would proceed through established judicial or legislative channels.
Comparison & data
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Length of this strike | 73 days |
| Number of detainees in this group | 7 (including one alternating-day refuser) |
| Annual UK prison hunger strikes | Approximately 200 per year |
| Deaths from prison hunger strikes since 1999 | 9 |
The table places this protest in context: while the UK sees many hunger-strike incidents annually, prolonged coordinated strikes that attract sustained public attention are rarer. The cohort here involved multiple detainees, cross-institution engagement by regulators and hospitalisation, which elevates the clinical and policy stakes compared with shorter, individual strikes.
Reactions & quotes
Supporters framed the ending of the strike as a partial success in securing medical attention for detainees, while continuing to press for the substantive demands that motivated the protest. Lawyers had warned of legal action over the treatment of hunger strikers ahead of Christmas, underscoring the dispute over custody conditions and clinical care arrangements.
Our strikes have now ended and those affected are receiving medical care under clinical guidance
Supporters statement
The supporters statement emphasised that clinical refeeding was being overseen by doctors and framed stopping the strike as necessary for health. It did not indicate whether the protesters consider their wider demands — including the call to lift the Palestine Action ban — resolved.
Regulators and officials provided limited public comment while confirming engagement with prison medical staff. The Ministry of Justice denied allegations of systemic medical mistreatment, and the Care Quality Commission said its experts had discussed care arrangements with clinicians at one of the prisons in question.
Our experts have spoken with medical staff at HMP Bronzefield about the care being provided
Care Quality Commission
The CQC comment signals regulatory oversight without implying a formal investigation at present. That distinction matters for families, advocates and legal teams seeking accountability or independent review of clinical care in custody.
Unconfirmed
- Whether the government will reconsider remand practices in response to this protest remains unconfirmed and would require judicial or policy processes to change current procedures.
- There is no public confirmation that the proposed ban on Palestine Action will be altered as a consequence of the hunger strike; senior judges were independently considering the ban.
- Details of individual clinical prognoses and long-term health outcomes for those who underwent prolonged starvation have not been made public and remain private to medical teams and legal representatives.
Bottom line
The immediate medical crisis posed by a 73-day coordinated hunger strike has eased with the two last participants ending their refusal of food and receiving supervised refeeding. Clinically, hospitalisation and careful nutritional support will be required to manage short- and medium-term risks associated with prolonged starvation. The episode highlights persistent stresses in the criminal justice system, notably long remand waits driven by court backlogs, and the limited levers ministers have over judicial remand decisions.
Policy and regulatory attention is likely to follow on two fronts: clinical governance in prisons and the legal processes that created the conditions for prolonged protest. While the strike itself has paused, its wider implications for prison healthcare oversight, judicial workload and public debate over protest tactics and national security will continue to play out in courts, regulatory reviews and political discussion.
Sources
- BBC News (news reporting)
- Ministry of Justice (official department information)
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) (regulator)