{"id":1048762,"date":"2025-12-12T13:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T10:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1048762"},"modified":"2025-12-12T13:06:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T10:06:00","slug":"qesser-zuhrah-the-filton-24-hunger-striker-speaks-from-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1048762","title":{"rendered":"Qesser Zuhrah: The Filton 24 hunger striker speaks from prison"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There is a long history of political prisoners using hunger strikes to resist the British state. Over the last month, the tactic has been taken up by eight Palestine solidarity activists, some who have been imprisoned for their alleged involvement in a direct action at RAF Brize Norton and others \u2013 members of the \u201cFilton 24<\/a>\u201d \u2013 for their alleged involvement in a direct action against Elbit Systems, Israel\u2019s largest weapons manufacturer. Their names are Amu Gib, Jon Cink, Teuta Hoxha, Heba Muraisi, Qesser Zuhrah, Kamran Ahmed, Lewie Chiaramello and Muhammad Umer Khalid.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the group have now been held on remand for over a year without having been convicted of any crime, an unusually lengthy pre-trial detention which leading human rights group <\/span>Amnesty International<\/span><\/a> and<\/span> several UN experts<\/span><\/a> have described as a misuse of counter-terrorism laws. \u201c<\/span>These activists and their families were subjected to violent dawn raids by counter-terrorism police, and though they haven\u2019t been charged with terrorism offences, are being treated as terrorist prisoners and mistreated by the authorities,\u201d Naila Ahmed, Head of Campaigns at <\/span>CAGE International<\/span><\/a>, tells Dazed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During their time in prison, they have reported experiencing \u201c<\/span>systematic abuse<\/span><\/a>\u201d, including being held in <\/span>solitary confinement<\/span><\/a>, denied<\/a> books, letters and phone calls, and a range of\u00a0<\/span>Islamophobic incidents<\/a>, including Qesser Zuhrah being <\/span>ordered to remove her keffiyeh hijab<\/span><\/a>. The hunger strikers are demanding not only an end to these alleged conditions but release on bail, the overturning of the ban on Palestine Action and the closure of Elbit Systems\u2019 sites in Britain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their situation is growing more urgent with each passing day. A doctor supporting the families of the hunger strikers has <\/span>described<\/span><\/a> himself as \u201cextremely concerned\u201d, warned that there is a \u201cvery, very high risk of death\u201d and alleged that the strikers are receiving inadequate medical care within prison. Five of them have already been hospitalised. There has been an outpouring of international solidarity \u2013 including from high-profile figures like <\/span>Sally Rooney <\/span><\/a>and Democrat <\/span>Rashida Tlaib<\/span><\/a>, who called on the UK government to meet their \u201cbasic, moral demands\u201d \u2013 and a series of protests across the UK, but the reaction from the British establishment has been muted. There has been little coverage by the BBC and other mainstream media outlets. Confronted by activists earlier this week, Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy <\/span>claimed<\/span><\/a>, \u201cI don\u2019t know anything about this\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson declined to comment on the allegations of abuse, citing the fact that the prisons in question are independently run, but said the Deputy Prime Minister was being kept informed of the situation and that prisoners\u2019 wellbeing is \u201ccontinually\u201d assessed, including hospitalisation where deemed necessary by medical professionals. The Ministry of Justice, Sodexo and UCL were all contacted for comment on the allegations raised in this interview.<\/p>\n

We spoke with 20-year-old Qesser, who has now been on hunger strike for over a month. Her condition is rapidly deteriorating. Because Qesser is not permitted to speak to the press, interviewing her involved submitting questions to a friend, who relayed them during a visit, transcribed her answers and sent them back. Below, she discusses why she has decided to go on hunger strike, the conditions she has experienced while in prison and her unwavering commitment to the freedom of Palestine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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