Czech courts compensate sterilised Romany women

A Czech court has granted compensation worth hundreds of thousands of Czech crowns to two of the Czech Romany women on whom doctors performed sterilisation without their consent, according to David Zahumensky, of the country‘s Human Rights League

Activists say tens of Czech women, mainly Romanies, have undergone sterilisation in the Czech Republic without giving consent to it. No exact statistics have been available, however.

Zahumensky told the Czechg news agency CTK that the High Court in Prague granted one woman, a resident in north Bohemia, compensation of 200,000 (£6,853) crowns. Under a previous verdict of a lower-level court, the woman was eligible for a mere quarter of the sum.

The other woman was granted compensation of 150,000 crowns (£5,139), twice the sum granted to her by a lower-level court.

The Human Rights League believes the doctors did not want to harm either of the women. They wanted to save one from another delivery that would pose a risk to her health.

In the case of the other woman, the doctors tried to reduce the risk of threatening cancer.

However, they decided on the patients´ behalf instead of offering a variety of possible solutions to them.

"Such approach has no place in medicine. Doctors must learn to respect the patients´ free choice and other rights," said Zahumensky.

Last October, the Constitutional Court turned down the complaint by Helena Ferencikova to whom a north Moravian hospital apologised on the basis of a court verdict but did not have to pay financial compensation to her as the court declared the case barred by the statute of limitations.

In February 2009, the court rejected a similar complaint by Iveta Cervenakova.

Last November, the cabinet of Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer voiced regret at the sterilisation of mainly Romany women. Michael Kocab, minister for human rights and minorities, then said measures are planned to prevent such cases in the future.