Palestine Action activist Qesser Zuhrah has been taken to hospital in an ambulance after weeks on hunger strike at HMP Bronzefield

‘Make no mistake: this disgraceful state of affairs stems from the gross misuse of counter-terrorism powers’ – Kerry Moscogiuri 

Responding to news that 20-year-old Qesser Zuhrah, a Palestine Action activist on hunger strike has been hospitalised due to seriously deteriorating health, Kerry Moscogiuri, Amnesty International UK’s Director of Campaigns and Communications, said: 

“It's shocking that these activists have been forced to resort to such desperate measures to bring attention to their plight. 

"This cruel misuse of terrorism legislation is a shameful moment for the UK government. It must urgently do everything in its power to bring an end to this terrible situation. 

“Those with responsibility must ensure all these people on hunger strike get access to the specific medical interventions required to prevent the totally avoidable loss of lives. 

“The denial of their right to communicate freely with their legal counsel, their pre-trial imprisonment - which has gone on for over a year already in some cases - and the severe restrictions placed on their detention, must all end immediately.  

“None of these individuals have been convicted of a crime and yet are facing pre-trial detention of up to – and in some cases beyond - 18 months, far exceeding the UK’s standard time limit. 

“Prosecutors must also immediately drop the allegations of a ‘terrorism connection’ in these cases and end this excessively lengthy pre-trial imprisonment. 

“Make no mistake: this disgraceful state of affairs stems from the gross misuse of counter-terrorism powers.”