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A Member of Parliament has staged a protest outside a prison, advocating for urgent medical attention for an inmate on hunger strike.
Zarah Sultana, the MP for Coventry South, stated that Qesser Zuhrah was in “critically ill” condition and faced an “immediate” risk of death after refusing food for 46 days.
Ms. Zuhrah is currently held on remand at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey, awaiting trial on charges related to the activities of Palestine Action before the group’s proscription under terrorism legislation.
In a post on X, Sultana called for an ambulance to be permitted entry to the prison. Later on Wednesday, the MP and fellow protesters confirmed Ms. Zuhrah’s transfer to a hospital.
The government proscribed Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act in July, designating membership or support for the group as a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years’ imprisonment.
Then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to ban the group on June 23, citing the vandalism of two aircraft at RAF Brize Norton as “disgraceful” and pointing to the group’s “long history of unacceptable criminal damage.”
Huda Ammori, the group’s co-founder, was granted permission to appeal in July after her legal representatives argued that the ban violated the right to free speech.
While a request to temporarily lift the ban was denied, it remains in effect. High Court judges are expected to rule on the lawfulness of the proscription in the coming weeks.
In a post on X on Tuesday evening, Sultana stated: “I am urgently on my way to HMP Bronzefield.”
“Palestine hunger striker Qesser Zuhrah, now on day 46, is being refused an ambulance by the prison.”
“She is critically ill and at immediate risk of dying. I have contacted [Justice Secretary] David Lammy and [Health Secretary] Wes Streeting and received no response.”
Demonstrators later reported that Ms. Zuhrah had been transferred to a hospital. Footage shared on X by the campaign group Defend Our Juries showed an ambulance departing the facility.
Green Party peer Baroness Jenny Jones stated she had received assurances that Ms. Zuhrah had been taken to a hospital before she departed from the protest.
“The protesters were all ages, all colors but very united and working well,” she added.
Sultana also confirmed on X shortly after 20:00 GMT that Ms. Zuhrah had been transferred to a hospital.
South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed its attendance at the prison on Wednesday but refrained from providing further details.
A spokesperson for HMP Bronzefield stated that while they could not comment on specific individuals, all prisoners had comprehensive access to healthcare, including access to “external medical facilities if needed.”
They stated: “Any prisoner refusing food receives regular medical assessment and support from clinicians, as well as being offered mental health support.”
The prison stated that all prisoners were managed in line with policies to assess “individual risks and security status.”
Protests are taking place in five different prisons involving eight people, including Ms. Zuhrah, who have all been charged with offenses linked to the activities of Palestine Action, before the group was banned under terrorism legislation.
A letter by lawyers representing the group, seen by the BBC, told Lammy there was a “real and increasingly likely potential” their clients would die in prison as part of their protest.
The BBC has contacted Sultana and the Ministry of Justice for comment.
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