The voluntary desicion of hunger strike
An issue that became a major concern during the Hunger Strikes in Turkey was the need to always ascertain the voluntary nature of the strike. Prisoners who "fast to protest" are understood to do so voluntarily. There have always been discussions and disagreements as to how "free" prisoners are to make any informed decisions on undertaking total fasting in the custodial setting. Without doubt, there are cases where this warrants serious scrutiny, and the coercive nature of the custodial regime makes any analysis very complicated. (In such dire situations, hunger strikes are usually rare, as prisoners are the first to realize they have no chance of having any form of success or even "getting an outside audience"…) The general consensus is, however, that hunger strikes are a form of "last resort" for prisoners to make known their protest.
Fasting prisoners may be a part of a group or faction, but this does not automatically imply there is "peer pressure". "Collective" hunger strikes are often not very "serious" and do not go very far. Hence the issue voluntary participation rarely becomes an issue. Individual prisoners may decide to initiate a form of protest y going on hunger strikes. Medical staff working with prisoners has a duty to ensure that those prisoners who effectively go on hunger strike are not being coerced by others to do so. The prison doctor should thus try to see each prisoner in the privacy of the medical consultation, and ascertain the voluntary nature of each prisoner's decision.
As has been mentioned elsewhere in this Chapter, this role of the prison doctor is essential. The doctor can make a major contribution to "calming down the situation" or even, in some cases, helping to find a solution acceptable to all concerned. In the privacy of the medical consultation, prisoners may provide inside information that may help resolve the underlying problem. The medical staff should avail themselves of this possibility, as long as it does not betray the trust bestowed on them by the prisoners.
The revised WAM Malta Declaration, and its Background paper, recall that physicians should make sure they speak to each and every hunger striker individually, so as to ascertain the voluntary nature" of the hunger strike – and help any prisoner who finds himself in a situation wherein the decision is nor taken voluntarily, but imposed on him by "the others", whoever they may be.
The revised WMA Malta Declaration recalls this, in articles 13 and 14 of the Guidelines for management of Hunger Strikes:
13. Physicians should talk to hunger strikers in privacy and out of earshot of all other people, including other detainees. Clear communication is essential and, where necessary, interpreters unconnected to the detaining authorities should be available and they too must respect confidentiality.
14. Physicians need to satisfy themselves that food or treatment refusal is the individual’s voluntary choice. Hunger strikers should be protected from coercion. Physicians can often help to achieve this and should be aware that coercion may come from the peer group, the authorities or others, such as family members. Physicians or other health care personnel may not apply undue pressure of any sort on the hunger striker to suspend the strike. Treatment or care of the hunger striker must not be conditional upon suspension of the hunger strike.
النتائج (
العربية) 1:
[نسخ]نسخ!
The voluntary desicion of hunger strikeAn issue that became a major concern during the Hunger Strikes in Turkey was the need to always ascertain the voluntary nature of the strike. Prisoners who "fast to protest" are understood to do so voluntarily. There have always been discussions and disagreements as to how "free" prisoners are to make any informed decisions on undertaking total fasting in the custodial setting. Without doubt, there are cases where this warrants serious scrutiny, and the coercive nature of the custodial regime makes any analysis very complicated. (In such dire situations, hunger strikes are usually rare, as prisoners are the first to realize they have no chance of having any form of success or even "getting an outside audience"…) The general consensus is, however, that hunger strikes are a form of "last resort" for prisoners to make known their protest.Fasting prisoners may be a part of a group or faction, but this does not automatically imply there is "peer pressure". "Collective" hunger strikes are often not very "serious" and do not go very far. Hence the issue voluntary participation rarely becomes an issue. Individual prisoners may decide to initiate a form of protest y going on hunger strikes. Medical staff working with prisoners has a duty to ensure that those prisoners who effectively go on hunger strike are not being coerced by others to do so. The prison doctor should thus try to see each prisoner in the privacy of the medical consultation, and ascertain the voluntary nature of each prisoner's decision.كما ذكر في موضع آخر في هذا الفصل، من الضروري هذا الدور من طبيب السجن. الطبيب يمكن أن تقدم إسهاما كبيرا في "تهدئة الوضع" أو القلق حتى، في بعض الحالات، المساعدة على إيجاد حل مقبول للجميع. في خصوصية الاستشارة الطبية، قد توفر السجناء داخل المعلومات التي قد تساعد في حل المشكلة الأساسية. العاملين في المجال الطبي وينبغي الاستفادة من هذه الإمكانية، طالما أنها لا تخون الثقة التي أنعم عليهم بها السجناء.إعلان مالطة الإماراتية المنقحة، وفي ورقة المعلومات الأساسية، نذكر أن الأطباء يجب التأكد أنهم يتكلمون للمهاجم الجوع كل على حدة، بغية التأكد من الطابع الطوعي "إضراباً عن الطعام – وتساعد أي السجين الذي يجد نفسه في حالة فيه القرار ولا تتخذ طوعا، ولكن فرضت عليه من قبل" الآخرين "، أيا كان قد تكون.إعلان مالطة WMA المنقحة تشير إلى هذا، في المادتين 13 و 14 من المبادئ التوجيهية لإدارة الإضراب عن الطعام:13-الأطباء ينبغي التحدث مع المضربين عن الطعام في الخصوصية والخروج من مقربة من سائر الناس، بمن فيهم المحتجزين الآخرين. الاتصالات واضحة أمر أساسي، وحيثما كان ذلك ضروريا، المترجمين الشفويين غير مرتبطة إلى سلطات الاحتجاز ينبغي أن تكون متاحة وأيضا يجب احترام السرية.14-الأطباء بحاجة إلى التأكد من أن الغذاء أو رفض العلاج هو الاختيار الطوعي للفرد. وينبغي حماية المضربين عن الطعام من الإكراه. الأطباء يمكن أن تساعد كثيرا تحقيق هذا الهدف، ويجب أن تدرك أن الإكراه قد تأتي من مجموعة الأقران أو السلطات أو غيرها، مثل أفراد الأسرة. الأطباء أو غيرهم من موظفي الرعاية الصحية قد لا تنطبق ضغوط لا مبرر لها من أي نوع على المهاجم الجوع تعليق الإضراب. العلاج أو الرعاية للمهاجم الجوع لا يجب أن يكون مشروطاً بوقف الإضراب عن الطعام.
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