Zarah Sultana MP is protesting outside HMP Bronzefield, demanding immediate medical intervention for hunger-striking detainee Qesser Zuhrah, who she says has waited 14 hours for urgent assessment. According to Sultana, the prison is refusing to allow an ambulance to attend.
Zuhrah, a Palestine Action prisoner awaiting trial, has been on hunger strike for 46 days. She has reported chest pain radiating from her neck to her shoulder, shortness of breath, dizziness and shaking limbs. She was briefly taken to hospital last week but discharged without diagnosis or test results, supporters say.
Zuhrah is one of eight Palestine Action detainees on hunger strike, five of whom were hospitalised last week. They face charges linked to actions targeting Elbit Systems and RAF Brize Norton. Four have been held on remand for over a year, exceeding the standard six-month pre-custody limit.
Sultana says she contacted Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Health Secretary Wes Streeting to request intervention, but has received no response. She says she will not leave until emergency care is provided, warning that any fatality “will be on their hands”.
The protest follows rising pressure on ministers. Jeremy Corbyn last week requested a meeting with justice minister Jake Richards about the detainees’ health, but the request was rejected, prompting laughter from some MPs. Speaker Lindsay Hoyle later criticised the lack of engagement as “totally unacceptable”.