More than 100 public figures have warned that four human rights defenders face a “grave miscarriage of justice” if terrorism-related sentencing provisions are applied in a case involving an action at an Israeli arms manufacturer, Anadolu Agency reports.
In an open letter published Tuesday by Artists for Palestine UK, signatories including writers, actors, academics, politicians and musicians urged the judge overseeing the case, Jeremy Johnson, to drop what they called a “terrorism connection” in the sentencing of Charlotte Head, Samuel Corner, Leona Kamio and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, known as part of the Filton 25.
The four activists were found guilty by a jury of criminal damage over a 2024 action at an Elbit Systems UK factory near Bristol.
However, the jury was not informed that the activists could face extended sentences under terrorism provisions, despite no terrorism charges being brought.
“To bypass the jury and sentence a group of protesters as terrorists would constitute an extremely grave miscarriage of justice, with consequences far beyond this case alone,” the letter stated.
