The political prisoners Gürkan Türkoğlu, Tahsin Sağaltıcı and Hüseyin Özen—who have been on hunger strike for over 250 days in protest against isolation in the so-called S-, R- and Y-type prisons—have been forcibly transferred to the state hospital in Antalya.

We are deeply alarmed and have grave concerns that they are being subjected to forced medical intervention.

International standards, particularly those of the World Medical Association, are unequivocal: a mentally competent individual has the right to refuse treatment, including food. Any non-consensual intervention is a clear violation of bodily autonomy.

The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly stressed that medical interventions must meet strict safeguards and must never amount to inhuman or degrading treatment. Forced feeding crosses this line.

Such practices are widely condemned by organisations such as Amnesty International as coercive measures used to suppress dissent, rather than genuine attempts to preserve life. This is not protection—it is control over political expression and resistance.

We urgently call on the authorities to immediately cease any forced medical intervention. These practices may amount to torture. Previous cases have shown that force-feeding can cause severe and irreversible harm, placing both the lives and mental well-being of hunger strikers at serious risk.

Contact details of the hospital...
Email: antalyash@saglik.gov.tr
Phone: +90 (242) 249 44 00

Email of the Ministry of Justice, Turkey

info@adalet.gov.tr