The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) today published the report on its October 2018 visit to the Czech Republic. The report assesses the treatment and safeguards afforded to persons deprived of their liberty by the police, the situation in several prisons, a psychiatric hospital and a social care home. (See also the Executive summary and the Czech version of the report)
The vast majority of persons interviewed by the delegation made no allegations of ill-treatment by the police. However, the delegation received a few allegations of excessive use of force in the context of apprehension and verbal abuse, including of racist/xenophobic nature, by police officers.
The right to access to a lawyer and a doctor seemed to be respected after apprehension. However, the CPT calls upon the Czech authorities to ensure that medical examinations are carried out of the hearing and, unless the opposite is expressly requested by the doctor, out of sight of police officers. There were a number of allegations that the right to notify a third person had not been granted.
