Dying would be ‘worthwhile’, Palestine Action hunger striker says from prison

Izzie Addison, Press Association

An imprisoned Palestine Action activist who has refused to eat for 42 days has said dying for his cause would be “worthwhile”.

In a telephone interview from his cell in north London prison HMP Pentonville, Kamran Ahmed, 28, told The Sunday Times “every day I’m scared” of dying, but it would be worth it.

Ahmed is one of six Palestine Action activists on hunger strike, facing charges which they deny related to alleged break-ins or criminal damage on behalf of the group before it was banned under terrorism legislation.

Earlier in December, activists Jon Cink and Umar Khalid ended their 38-day and 12-day hunger strikes for health reasons. Prisoners For Palestine said; both were admitted to hospital and have since been discharged back to prison.

Ahmed, from London, is accused of breaking into the UK site of an Israel-based defence firm near Patchway, Bristol, with sledgehammers in August 2024, causing £1 million of damage.

On Friday, he told The Sunday Times: “Every day I’m scared that potentially I might die.

“I’ve been getting chest pains regularly… There have been times where I felt like I’m getting tasered – my body’s vibrating or shaking. I’ll basically lose control of my feelings.

“I’ve been scared since the seventh day when my blood sugars dropped. The nurse said: ‘I’m scared you’re not going to wake up (when you go to sleep). Please eat something.’

“But I’m looking at the bigger picture of perhaps we can relieve oppression abroad and relieve the situations for my co-defendants… Yes, I’m scared of passing away. Yes, this may have life-long implications. But I look at the risk versus reward. I see it as worthwhile.”

On Thursday, emergency physician Dr James Smith told journalists that Ahmed and the other Palestine Action activists “are dying” and are in need of specialist medical help.

His calls were echoed by almost 900 health professionals who have written to Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, senior NHS officials and senior prison officials to express the same demand.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said the “rules and procedures” are being followed, after facing questions in the Commons about why his ministers had refused to meet with representatives of those striking.

The Sunday Times reports Ahmed, who ate his last meal on November 8, has dropped from 75kg to 60kg in weight and feels like “a shell” of himself.

He told the newspaper: “I am concerned (about my health) but it shouldn’t be on me to be concerned. It should be on the government to be concerned with how they are letting this go on for this long without addressing it, without at least coming to the table and negotiating.”

Ahmed’s sister, Shahmina Alam, told reporters on Thursday: “Our family have never felt this much anxiety, never dreaded phone calls as much as we have now.

“His heart is giving in and his pulse is slowing down, he is losing half a kilogram every day.”

She added: “The justice system is hanging on a very thin thread.”

Commons Leader Sir Alan Campbell told MPs on Friday that the welfare and wellbeing of prisoners, “whether they’re on hunger strike or not”, are “absolutely central” to the Prison Service and to ministers’ minds.

Responding to Adnan Hussain, the Independent MP for Blackburn, who said remand is “not meant to break bodies”, Sir Alan said: “It is really important that we appreciate that the Deputy Prime Minister does take a keen interest in what is happening and hope that we can find a suitable outcome for this.

“And I also have to say very gently, it couldn’t be further from the truth for anyone in this House or indeed outside to suggest that somehow the Government or the Prison Service is trying to ‘break the bodies’ of the people that are on hunger strike.

“We want to find a settlement to this and I give a commitment to take back to the Deputy Prime Minister what has been said here today and hopefully we can find a suitable way forward.”

Prisons minister Lord Timpson has previously said the service is “very experienced” at dealing with hunger strikes and has “robust and working” systems in place and the Prison Service “will not be meeting” any prisoners or their representatives.