Vorwürfe von Zwangssterilisierung an Roma in der Slovakei

10.10.2004, 13:27, Georg Warning

Vorwürfe von Zwangssterilisierungen von Roma in der Slovakei führen zu Strafverfolgungsdrohungen gegen die Verfasserin des Berichts und die Sterilisationsopfer

Liebe Freunde,

im folgenden ein Auszug aus dem UN-Bericht CERD/C/SR.1655, vom 16. August 2004, über den von der Slowakei vorgelegten 4. und 5. periodischen Bericht, mit dem sich das auf der Grundlage der UN-Konvention zur Beseitigung aller Formen von Rassendiskriminierung arbeitende Komitee befasste.

Die Darstellung wirkt reichlich beschönigend. So bestand die 'sofortige Reaktion der Regierung' auf den Bericht 'Body and Soul' darin, die Verfasserinnen öffentlich zu bedrohen, falls der Inhalt zutreffe, werde man sie wegen Verheimlichung einer Straftat verfolgen, und falls er nicht stimme, wegen Verbreitung von Falschnachrichten. Und die Untersuchung der Vorwürfe von Zwangssterilisierung erfolgte zumindest in einigen Fällen in der Form, dass Roma-Frauen zur Polizei geladen und so verhört wurden, dass sie glaubten, einer Straftat verdächtigt zu werden. Es ist ein Hohn, wenn dann den Opfern am Schluss des slowakischen Regierungsberichts an das UN-Gremium empfohlen wird, ihre Rechte per Zivilklage einzufordern. Die meisten Roma-Frauen werden dazu gewiss nicht in der Lage sein, allein schon, weil sie das Geld nicht haben, um sich einen Anwalt zu leisten. Und die Kürzungen der Sozialleistungen in der Slowakei werden ihre Lage gewiss nicht verbessert haben.

Viele Grüße
Georg Warning
ai 2337, Konstanz, den 3.10.2004

UN-Bericht CERD/C/SR.1655, vom 16. August 2004 (S.6)

27. Ms. Kasárová (Slovakia) said that forced sterilization of Roma women in eastern Slovakia was definitely not State policy. Her Government had acted immediately on the findings of the "Body and Soul" report: criminal proceedings had begun in January 2004, and an impartial team of predominantly female experts, which had been set up in central Slovakia, had carried out investigations. The Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University in Bratislava had been invited to express an expert opinion on the cases, and an expert control group composed of a team of gynaecology and obstetric professionals had been set up to investigate all cases of sterilization carried out in the hospitals mentioned in the "Body and Soul" report between 1993 and 2003. A second group of specialists had investigated sterilizations in a further 70 obstetrics and gynaecology departments in eastern Slovakia.

28. In the initial criminal investigations and prosecutions, it had been concluded that the crime of genocide had not been committed. That decision had later been reviewed, and a second impartial prosecution had taken place, in close cooperation with international bodies. Representatives of the Council of Europe hat visited Slovakia and made recommendations on future legislation, which the Government hat subsequently implemented. Although the inquiries into forced sterilizations had not revealed any evidence of genocide, they had shown that there were certain shortcomings in Slovak health legislation in relation to informed consent, access to medical files and administrative errors

29. (...) Although the criminal proceedings had been concluded, the victims could still seek compensation through civil cases.

ai-Jahresbericht 2004 über den Berichtszeitraum des Jahres 2003 (Auszug):

Alleged illegal sterilization

Allegations of illegal, and in some cases forcible, sterilization of Romani women were brought to public notice in a report in January by two non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the US-based Center for Reproductive Rights and Poradna pre obcianske a lucske prava, Center for Civil and Human Rights. Pál Csáky, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Human and Minority Rights, initiated a criminal investigation but also threatened the report's authors with prosecution for "spreading false rumours" or, should the allegations prove true, failing to report a criminal offence.

The criminal investigation did not comply with international standards. In February, 21 Romani women were taken from their homes without prior warning, for questioning at the police station in Krompachy. The names of 19 of them had apparently been given to the police by the Krompachy hospital. Most were not aware of their right not to comply with an orally presented summons. Some thought they were criminal suspects. The police conduct was perceived as threatening and degrading, and questioning by male police officers demonstrated insensitivity. At least two women who claimed that they had been forcibly sterilized said that officers threatened them and implied that they were induced to make the claim by promises of financial and other gain. The women were reportedly advised to sign criminal complaints of genocide, without advice on the significance of this charge, and told that they could be imprisoned for up to three years for "false accusation" if their complaint proved untrue. After a new investigative team was put in place, some victims were still questioned without prior notice or summons and threatened with prosecution.

Police investigators examined only the existence and authenticity of the women's signatures on the consent forms and whether the sterilization had been medically necessary according to Slovak professional standards. They did not ask whether the women had freely requested sterilization, received appropriate counselling about its risks and irreversibility, understood the information provided, or were given appropriate time to consider the information and include others in the decision. According to international human rights and professional standards, a signature alone is not sufficient evidence of full and informed consent, and sterilization should never be carried out without that consent.

In October the Deputy Prime Minister stated that the investigation had been closed for lack of evidence of any crime, noting also that there would be changes in regulations concerning certain medical procedures. The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights, in a report in October, concluded that "it can reasonably be assumed that sterilizations have taken place, particularly in eastern Slovakia, without informed consent". He recommended that the government accept its responsibilities, offer swift and just redress to the victims, and enact new legislation on patients' consent to medical procedures and right of access to their medical files.