Medics demand urgent help for alleged Palestine activist on prison hunger strike

More than 100 medical professionals have issued an urgent appeal to help an alleged pro-Palestine activist on hunger strike in prison.

Teuta Hoxha, who has been held at HMP Peterborough since November 2024, is facing a “medical emergency” and needs immediate care.

The 28-year-old, who is on the 20th day of her hunger strike, has critically low blood sugar levels and is at risk of cardiac arrest, a letter written by the medics said.

She is waiting to go on trial in April 2026, accused of breaking into an Israel-based defence firm in south Gloucestershire and causing more than £1 million of damage.

The group of medical professionals has written to NHS England’s health and justice team and the prison’s governor to raise their serious concerns about her situation.

“Ms Hoxha has not, as far as we are aware, received the necessary daily clinical monitoring required for patients refusing food and is at risk of sudden electrolyte disturbance, hypoglycaemia and cardiac arrest,” the letter said.

“After speaking with family, our understanding is that Ms Hoxha had low blood sugar, at around 2.7, for significant periods of time yesterday. This constitutes a medical emergency.

“Given that Ms Hoxha’s hunger strike is now at a critical stage, we must therefore insist that NHS England exercises its commissioning oversight.”

Hoxha weighed 50kg on August 21 and will need “specialist medical oversight” when she starts eating again.

She is on hunger strike to get her recreational activities, library job and months of withheld mail back, supporters said.

The charges against her say she was part of a group that entered Elbit Systems UK as trespassers with sledgehammers and whips in the early hours of August 6 last year.

Last week, she started to develop a temperature, had a consistent headache, started vomiting when trying to take vitamins and had to cancel her social visit because she was too unwell, it is said.

Hoxha, from East Dulwich, south-east London, said in a statement: “When the state has taken your house, your job, nearly two years of your life, the natural disposition is to want to hold onto every little bit of autonomy.

“These past 14 days in HMP Peterborough, I’ve been called a terrorist, heard an officer tell another prisoner that supporting Palestine is terrorism, been accused of being part of a terrorist group and placed on report for saying ‘Free Palestine’.

“This is about rejecting the attacks on my character that happen with every decision made by the system.”

An HMP Peterborough spokesperson said: “We cannot provide information about specific individuals, however we can confirm that all prisoners have full access to meals.

“Any prisoner refusing food receives regular medical assessment and support from clinicians, as well as being offered mental health support. This is in line with policies and regulations applied across the whole prison estate.

“We can also confirm that we offer a wide range of education and employment opportunities within the prison. While not every opportunity is suitable for all prisoners, there are options for everyone.”