"In the final days of their months-long hunger strike, three young pro-Palestine activists on remand convicted of no crime were confronted with their mortality in the confines of their prison cells. Heba Muraisi, 31, who refused food for 73 days, was suffering with a level of pain so severe that sitting felt unbearable. At 49kg (108lb), her body wasting away, there were fears her organs were shutting down. Her memory declined and she had muscle spasms, a sign of possible neurological damage."
"But until they announced the end of their hunger strikes on Wednesday amid their rapidly collapsing health, Muraisi and prisoners Kamran Ahmed, 28, and Lewie Chiaramello, 23, were determined to continue. A Londoner who worked as a florist and lifeguard, Muraisi told Al Jazeera this week that she had resigned herself to the idea of death but wanted to keep refusing food in protest because she was finally being heard."
"I was willing to go the distance, said Ahmed, who is also from London and had worked as a mechanic. But others were not willing to see me walk a mile further. Described by loved ones as having become paper-thin, Ahmed has lost 25 percent of his body weight. His heart muscle has shrunk, he suffers from chest pains and has lost hearing in one ear. His speech was slurring, and walking took so much energy it made him breathless."
Heba Muraisi, 31, refused food for 73 days and experienced severe pain, loss of weight to 49kg, declining memory, muscle spasms, and fears of organ failure. Kamran Ahmed, 28, fasted for 65 days, losing 25% of his body weight, suffering chest pains, a shrunken heart muscle, hearing loss in one ear, slurred speech, and breathlessness on walking. Lewie Chiaramello, 23, a Type 1 diabetic, fasted every other day for 46 days. Eight individuals participated in the protest since early November, and one remand prisoner, Umer Khalid, continues to refuse food. Campaigners and an MP believe the government made concessions.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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