A Palestine Action-affiliated prisoner has halted a hunger and thirst strike after he was hospitalised with multiple organ failure following two days of refusing water.
Muhammad Umer Khalid, 22, agreed to pause his 17-day hunger strike and three-day thirst strike, which he launched to protest his treatment at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, where he is being held on remand.
Khalid, who has a rare genetic disorder, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, is now suffering from renal and liver failure, as well as low blood pressure and high creatine kinase levels, which the campaign group Prisoners for Palestine (PFP) said are all signs of imminent cardiac arrest in a statement.
Khalid is the last of eight prisoners linked to the now-banned direct action group who launched a hunger strike over their detention conditions and the group’s proscription. Some refused food for as long as 73 days.
On 14 January, the last three strikers announced they would end their food refusal after the government decided not to award a multi-billion-pound contract to the UK subsidiary of Israeli arms company, Elbit Systems.
