Abstract

Hunger strikes and death fasts are forms of political action that have been undertaken in many countries around the world. Use of these tactics is a particularly important issue in Turkey where hunger strikes and death fasts are frequent. These political actions fall within the scope of disciplines such as deontology, law, and medical science. The multidimensional aspect of hunger strikes complicates consideration of the subject because different scenarios lead to different topics of debate. One of the issues discussed in this article is force feeding as a violation of fundamental rights. This article has been written with the goal of exploring hunger strikes from several different dimensions, and it thus reviews national and international literature about hunger strikes and death fasts, the history of the issue, national and international legislation, medical ethics, and particularly concerns about the right to life, freedom of thought, and freedom of expression.

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