Ombudsman: Roma rent defaulters in Vsetin should not have been moved to rundown buildings

The Moravian town of Vsetin made a grave error when it evicted a number of Roma rent defaulters last year, Ombudsman Otakar Motejl announced on Wednesday. The move to re-house the Romanies in portacabins and rundown buildings violated their basic human rights, Mr Motejl said. Some of the buildings lacked basic necessities like electricity and running water. Current Christian Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister Jiri Cunek, who was mayor of Vsetin at the time of the eviction has been facing much criticism for the move.