Twenty-nine political activists associated with the banned group Palestine Action are in British jails. Most have already been held on remand far longer than the normal six-month maximum which the law allows before trial. Four of these political prisoners have now been on hunger strike for well over a month. One of the hunger strikers, Kamran Ahmed, was hospitalized on November 25th due to the effects of the hunger strike on his body, but discharged three days later. Kamran’s sister, Shahmina Alam, and spokesperson from Prisoners for Palestine, Francesca Nadin, join the Electronic Intifada’s Asa Winstanley to discuss the demands of the hunger strikers whose conditions are deteriorating rapidly.
Forced and sustained starvation is “shaving years off” of Palestinians’ lives, especially children, whose cognitive and growth development is dependent on good nutrition in their earliest years. Host Nora Barrows-Friedman joins Dr. Thaer Ahmad, an emergency room physician from Health Care Workers for Humanity who has worked extensively in Gaza to discuss Israel’s use of starvation as a key weapon in the genocide.
Produced by Pierre Loiselle, Nora Barrows-Friedman and Tamara Nassar. Music by Greg Wilson.
(Photo: Prisoners for Palestine)