UN slams systematic detention of refugees in Czech Republic
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein has lashed out at Czech authorities for the "systematic" detention of refugees under "degrading" conditions.
Zeid said on Thursday that the Czech Republic is currently the only country where refugees are reportedly detained for 40 days, and in some cases up to 90 days, “in conditions which have been described as degrading.”
The detentions are part of a larger policy by some eastern and central European governments to curb the flow of refugees most of whom are fleeing war and violence caused by foreign-backed militants, including the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.
In his statement, Zeid heaped scorn on Czech authorities, saying the policy of putting refugees behind bars is specifically adopted to dissuade refugees from entering the country.
“According to credible reports from various sources, the violations of the human rights of migrants are neither isolated nor coincidental, but systematic,” he said, adding that the abuses “appear to be an integral part of a policy by the Czech Government designed to deter migrants and refugees from entering the country or staying there.”
Zeid also voiced concern over violations of children's rights in Czech detention facilities, saying, “Detention of children on the sole basis of their migration status, or that of their parents, is a violation, is never in their best interests, and is not justifiable.”
The UN estimates show that more than 600,000 people, many of them from the war-ravaged countries like Syria, have dared a dangerous journey to Europe so far this year. The international body says the number could dramatically rise over the next months despite measures adopted by some eastern European states to stop the refugees at the borders.
Zeid said the refugees detained in the Czech Republic have already “suffered horrendously in their countries of origin as well as during their journey” to the country, adding, “International law is quite clear that immigration detention must be strictly a measure of last resort.”
The high-profile UN official also slammed Czech President Milos Zeman for making statements against refugees, saying such comments are more worrying as they coincide with the detention of refugees.
Zeman had previously said that refugees might bring in terrorism and infectious diseases, and called for the deployment of the armed forces to protect the country's borders against them.
Zeman's spokesman, Jiri Ovcacek, on Thursday rejected the criticism, saying the president will stand by his opinion and “he will not change it under pressure from abroad."
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