The right to food, as a basic human right, is on the agenda of the international community since the emergence of international human rights law. It is recognised not only by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but also by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). States Parties to the ICESCR are under the obligation of at least the realization of the minimum essential level of the right to food, namely freedom from hunger, even under the circumstances of armed conflicts. The 1949 Geneva Conventions and its Additional Protocols of 1977 also impose obligations on States regarding access to food, as a basic human need, and prohibit the use of starvation as a weapon. However, in today’s world, freedom from hunger is violated during armed conflicts by exposing thousands of people to starvation. The protracted armed conflict in Syria is a case in point, violating the rules of international law and oblige us to question what the right to food means during armed conflicts. This article examines the significance of the freedom from hunger during armed conflicts in terms of the conflict in Syria by discussing the scope of the right to food in international law.
Temel bir insan hakkı olarak gıda hakkı, uluslararası insan hakları hukukunun doğuşundan beri uluslararası toplumun gündemindedir. İlgili hak, sadece İnsan Hakları Evrensel Bildirgesi ile değil, aynı zamanda hukuken bağlayıcı olan Ekonomik, Sosyal ve Kültürel Haklara İlişkin Uluslararası Antlaşma ile de tanınmıştır. ESKHUS’ye taraf olan devletler gıda hakkının asgari gerekli seviyesini oluşturan açlıktan kurtulma hakkını silahlı çatışma şartları altında dahi korumakla yükümlüdürler. 1949 Cenevre Sözleşmeleri ve 1977 Ek Protokolleri de temel bir insan ihtiyacı olan gıdaya erişim hakkını korumaya yönelik hükümler içermekte olup açlığın silah olarak kullanılmasını yasaklamıştır. Bununla birlikte, günümüzde silahlı çatışmalar esnasında pek çok insan açlıktan ölmeye terk edilmek suretiyle açlıktan kurtulma hakkı ihlal edilmektedir. Bu bağlamda, Suriye’de yaşanan silahlı çatışma, milletlerarası hukukun kurallarını ihlal eden ve bizi gıda hakkının silahlı çatışmalar esnasında gerçekten bir anlama sahip olmadığını sormaya zorunlu kılan tipik bir örnektir. Bu makale, gıda hakkının milletlerarası hukuktaki kapsamını tartışmak suretiyle, açlıktan kurtulma hakkının silahlı çatışmalar esnasında taşıdığı önemi, Suriye’de yaşanan çatışma açısından incelemektedir.
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