Interior Minister: detention facility at Bělá-Jezová is no torture chamber

The detention facility for refugees at Běla-Jezová is not a torture chamber, interior minister Milan Chovanec said on Thursday before visiting the centre, which has been criticised over the way it treated migrants. The minister was accompanied by EU ambassadors and the Minister for Labour and Social Affairs Michaela Marksová, whose portfolio includes child protection. Ms Marksová said after the tour of the facility that the children are well taken care of. Serious doubts about conditions at Běla-Jezová were raised by the country’s ombudswoman, Anna Šabatová, in September. The interior minister admitted shortcomings but said that proper standards had been met.