František Kriegel Prize awarded to Romani survivor of forced sterilization Elena Gorolová in Prague for her bravery in standing up against such malpractice
The František Kriegel Prize for civic bravery, awarded by the Charter 77 Foundation, was given this year to the Romani human rights activist and social worker Elena Gorolová. The jury gave her the award for her longstanding personal and professional contribution to the fight for compensation for victims of illegal, secret sterilizations.
The jury especially appreciated Gorolová’s long-term efforts and the courage with which she raised this subject, as well as her part in what subsequently became a difficult fight for compensation for the victims of such unlawful actions by state healthcare facilities. Gorolová received the prize at the National Museum in Prague.
Gorolová has dedicated herself to aiding women who have been forcibly sterilized for the last 20 years. “Not only did she have to draw on her own strength and determination to lead this fight with all of the components of the state apparatus involved, but she also had to put a considerable amount of personal courage and fortitude into her efforts, because while the topic of the reproductive ability of Romani women is still quite essential in Romani communities, debate about it is, on the other hand, taboo,” said the chair of the jury, Saša Uhlová, who delivered the commendation speech.
INTERVIEWS
The European Roma Rights Centre suspected that forced sterilizations, especially of Romani women, were still happening in the Czech Republic in 2004. Dozens of such women then reported the matter to the ombudsman, and some also turned to the courts.
RECORDING OF THE CEREMONY
Gorolová herself is one of those harmed by this treatment. According to Uhlová, that makes her heroism all the more commendable.
The chair of the jury appreciated that Gorolová was able to cope with her personal loss and to stand at the forefront of the fight for thousands of other victims, not just Romani women, but also their families. “This fight lasted a long time and is still going on, and I would especially like to thank all the women for enduring it for so long,” Gorolová told reporters.
Gorolová’s wish is for all the women who deserve compensation to receive it. According to her, there are still many requests for compensation waiting for the Health Ministry to process them and the women are still waiting to be redressed.
Past winners of the František Kriegel Prize who have been associated with the Romani community
The prize has been won by eminent Romani figures in the past, as well as by figures who have worked on the issues of racism and the Romani community:
Milena Hübschmanová (1994) – for her many years of service to Romani culture and to establishing mutual understanding between Romani people and the majority society.
Kumar Vishwanathan (1998) – for his work with Romani communities as well as his work on intercultural dialogue.
Jakub Polák (2000) – for his brave fight against racism and his defense of the victims of racially-motivated violence.
Radek Banga (2017) – for his brave civic stance against racism during the “Golden Nightingale” popular music awards ceremony.
Karel Karika and David Tišer (2019) – for their fight for the rights of Romani people and the rights of the socially excluded.
The foundation has awarded the František Kriegel Prize since 1987. It is annually awarded on 10 April, when the Czechoslovak politician was born in 1908.
Since 1990, the award has been given for civic bravery displayed regardless of personal gain and possible risks. Individuals are appreciated who risk their own careers, positions – and frequently, their lives – to promote goals and opinions with regard to democracy, humanist ideals, and human rights which they consider to be correct.
František Kriegel was one of the most important politicians of the Prague Spring of 1968 and was the only Czechoslovak politician who, after being abucted by the Soviets and taken to Moscow, refused to sign the Moscow Protocol in the Kremlin. Past prize winners have been, for instance, Jaroslav Šabata, Petr Pithart, Karel Kryl, Josef Vavroušek, Stanislav Milota or Radek Banga.
Last year, Slovak author and columnist Martin Milan Šimečka won the prize. The list of past winners is on the Charter 77 Foundation website.
The members of this year’s jury were Martin Groman, Miloš Doležal, Jana Horváthová, Michal Lukeš, Stanislav Pavlín, Petra Procházková, Bára Stárek, Saša Uhlová (chair) and Marek Orko Vácha.
