UZBEK WOMEN ACCUSE STATE OF MASS STERILISATIONS

UZBEK WOMEN ACCUSE STATE OF MASS STERILISATIONS

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August 13, 2022

Saodat Rakhimbayeva says she wishes she had died with her newborn baby. The 24-year-old housewife had a caesarean section in March and gave birth to Ibrohim, a premature boy who died three days later. Then came a further devastating blow: She learned that the surgeon had removed part of her uterus during the operation, making her sterile. The doctor told her the hysterectomy was necessary to remove a potentially cancerous cyst, while she believes he sterilised her as part of a state campaign to reduce birthrates. “He never asked for my approval, never ran any checks, just mutilated me as if I were a mute animal,” the pale and fragile Rakhimbayeva said through tears while sitting at a fly-infested cafe. According to rights groups, victims and health officials, Rakhimbayeva is one of hundreds of Uzbek women who have been surgically sterilised without their knowledge or consent in a programme designed to prevent overpopulation from fuelling unrest.