Talk:Hunger strike

Older comments

1. It looks like much of the information that might want to live on this page is already at fasting. Should we make this a redirect there and then clean up fasting so it's all nice and pretty? --Dante Alighieri 08:55 25 Jun 2003 (UTC)

I dont agree with that Dante, fasting is different than Hunger strike, a hunger strike is "protest" oriented and has more political and moral meaning attached to it. while fasting can be seen as purely religious. OR evm Hunger Strike can be categorized as a special type of fasting where in a protest comes into picture. Hunger Strike should definatly be sperate from fasting, so I think. --Girish 19:10, Apr 16, 2005 (UTC)

Fair enough. --Dante Alighieri | Talk 22:32, May 4, 2005 (UTC)

Early History

I added these things, which I found in David Beresford's "Ten Men Dead." They give an early, brief history of the practice. I added citations to the book I got it from; I mainly paraphrased what was said in that book.

--L.A.F. 08:21, 10 February 2006 (UTC)

Akbar Ganji

Why Akbar Ganji's section removed without any discussions?--Sina 22:54, 1 September 2005 (UTC)

Political Prisoners in Turkey

I have rewritten the history of hunger strikes in Turkey, since the existant information was very superficial, hence leading inaccuracies. I can't claim my edit is perfectly correct, since I have mostly relied on my memory and quick internet search, but I hope it will initiate an effort to create a correct section. I tried to be objective, but I am generally biased by my left-wing/liberal POV, so I will appreciate neutralization as well. However, please no Turkish nationalist, extreme leftist, Kurdish separatist, or European anti-Turkish propaganda. Thank you. AldirmaGonul 05:50, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

While trying to be not so self serving, I really think it will be useful to add an article I wrote on the subject. It is the only academic article which tries to answer the question: why people go on hunger strikes? It also answers some of the questions raised here. If someone were to include some portions of it, it will improve the quality of your entry. Here is the citation.

2005 Israel S. Waismel-Manor “Striking Differences: Hunger Strikes in Israel and the United States.” Social Movement Studies 4:3, 281-300.

Many thanks,

Israel IsraelWaismelManor 14:44, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

what is a hunger strike

It seems like this page focuses more on who has done a hunger strike then the mechanics of how a hunger strike works. I'm interested in knowing if any eating is allowed (such as the Ramadan fast), or if any sustenance (ie juice and vitamins) is allowed, or the details of what it entails. Neither this page, nor the fasting page hold this information. -- garlic : November 21, 2005

Last summer's hunger strikers in Guantanamo generally started skipping a single meal one week, then skipping two meals the next week, and finally all meals the third week. The camp authorities didn't count anyone unless they had skipped all their meals for three consecutive days. During the first hunger strike the number of hunger striker who camp authorities felt required hospitalization overwhelmed the camp hospital, and some of the detainees had to be transferred to the base's main hospital.

FWIW the camp authorities and the detainees give wildly varying accounts of how the feeding tubes are inserted into the detainees. The camp authorities say they are always inserted by trained medical personnel, who insert them as humanely as possible. Detainees have reported at least one doctor inserting the tubes brutally, wiggling the tube brutally, once it was installed, until the detainee started to vomit up blood. Detainees have described the hated IRF inserting the tubes. They have described the IRF removing tubes by holding the detainees hair in one hand, and the end of the tube in another, and then yanking the tube out by making a big scissors motion. Detainees describe the use of tubes the width of a finger, which are extremely painful. They describe guards removing tubes from detainees, then cramming the same tube down another detainees nose, while it was still covered in the blood and vomit of the earlier detainees. -- Geo Swan 21:54, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Hi, While trying to be not so self serving, I really think it will be useful to add an article I wrote on the subject and for someone to insert some of its paragraphs and findings into the main entry. It is the only academic article which tries to answer the question: why people go on hunger strikes? It will improve the quality of your entry. Here is the citation.

2005 Israel S. Waismel-Manor “Striking Differences: Hunger Strikes in Israel and the United States.” Social Movement Studies 4:3, 281-300.

Many thanks,

Israel

IsraelWaismelManor 14:47, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

Guantánamo Bay

Should this be reduced and most of the info moved to a main-article? If so which? Regardless extensive "cites" should be used. Rich Farmbrough 13:16 7 March 2006 (UTC).

Actual record?

My 1995 Swedish edition of the Guinness Book of Records says:

The world record in hunger strike (without forced feeding) is 94 days, which was set from August 11 to November 12, 1920 by John and Peter Crowley, Thomas Donovan, Michael Burke, Michael O'Reilly, Christopher Upton, John Power, Joseph Kenny and Seán Hennessy at the prison of Cork, Ireland.

The article on Terence MacSwiney says:

On October 20, 1920, he fell into a coma and died five days later after 78 days on hunger strike, making his the longest hunger strike in Irish history.

The article on David Blaine says (on why he would not be included in future editions of the Book of Records):

[The Guinness Book of Records] said it did not wish to encourage fasting records and that in any case the IRA hunger strikers Bobby Sands (who died after 66 days without food) and Laurence McKeown (who went into a coma after 70 days and was then force-fed) had already lasted longer unfed than Blaine did.

Does anybody have any clarity on who of these actually went the longest without food and what the criteria really are? —Gabbe 07:27, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

Terence MacSwiney died after 74 days not 78. Kieran Doherty died after 71 days, Kevin Lynch died after 71 days.--Padraig (talk) 16:55, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

I, too, would love to know who did the longest Hunger Strike of all time. I'm not sure about the 1st one above in Cork. It implies that all 9 (presumably) IRA men died on the one day or they went off the fast on the one day, after 94 days. El Gringo 12:32, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

According to this- [1]- CNN article quoting a Guinness Book of Records official, 'He pointed out that the longest hunger strike ended in 1973 after 385 days when Dennis Galer Goodwin protested his innocence in Wakefield Prison, West Yorkshire, of a rape charge. He was fed by tube orally. The lengthiest period spent without solid food was 382 days when Angus Barbieri lived on tea, coffee, soda water and vitamins in Maryfield Hospital, Dundee in the mid Sixties. He lost more than 20 stone.' 385 days without food? That could not possibly be right, or could it? El Gringo 12:44, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

In response to El Gringo's comment, the Irish strikers didn't die (I think three might have), the strike was ended at the 94 day point I believe. I happen to know at least one of the the strikers survived many years after the strike. TostitosAreGross 02:57, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Some of them did- Bobby Sands being the most famous one.--L.A.F. 05:27, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

Medical Effects

The three-day glucose store (uncited) information here conflicts with the Physiological effects section of Fasting (also uncited).