Three Palestine Action prisoners, Heba Muraisi, Kamran Ahmed, and Lewie Chiaramello, are risking their lives on hunger strike in protest of prolonged imprisonment without trial. Heba reached 71 days without food on 12th January, Kamran 64 days, and Lewie 49 days. On the same day, a fourth prisoner, Umer Khalid, announced he had restarted his hunger strike.
Heba Muraisi is now struggling to breathe and suffering uncontrollable muscle spasms, which are possible signs of severe neurological damage.
They are among the Filton 24, charged with disrupting the manufacture of weapons at an Israeli-owned Elbit factory near Bristol. The hunger strikers are demanding immediate bail. Under UK law, the maximum time a prisoner should spend on remand is six months. Yet Muraisi and Ahmed, arrested in November 2024, may remain in prison until June 2026, which is 20 months without trial, and Chiaramello, arrested in July 2025, faces a provisional court date in January 2027, which is 18 months remanded.
Their protest evokes memories of Bobby Sands, who died on 5 May 1981 on the 66th day of his hunger strike in Maze Prison while fighting for political prisoner status.