Conditions in police custody under fire from human rights group

The Czech Helsinki Committee for Human Rights has criticized conditions for inmates in police custody. In a report released on Friday, the group says that inmates are forced to stay in small cells, do not have enough space for their daily open-air exercise, and cannot wash themselves frequently enough. The report notes the Czech prison system is underfinanced. In reaction, deputy justice minister Daniel Volák said the report was compiled before New Year’s presidential amnesty when prisons were overcrowded. Mr Volák said the situation has since improved.