Author
Overall conditions
The RFA is in charge of the management of the detention centres.[1] The outside security is managed by the Immigration Police and security inside the detention centres is managed by private security companies. In some cases, the Immigration Police is entitled to enter the detention facility. Police officers may enter a detention unit for the purpose of preventive action to prevent disturbances of public order, violations of the internal order of the facility or to protect life, health and property; they may enter areas where children are accommodated only exceptionally for the purpose of preventive action.[2]
Staff in the detention centres have different levels of training and education. There have been reported issues with the behaviour of private security, especially as these are low-paid jobs performed typically by people who did not have access to higher education. At times, OPU has noted racist or transphobic comments from these individuals.
Detention conditions have been considered overall relatively satisfactory, although the quality of individual detention facilities differs.
In recent years, the recommendations of the Ombudsperson who visits detention facilities regularly focused mainly on ensuring effective access to legal services for detainees placed in so-called ‘pre-admission’ (i.e., the housing unit in the detention centre where the detainee is placed before they undergo a medical examination), access to legal services for detainees placed under the strict regime, improving overall equipment in the strict regime units, further reduction of security elements, e.g., by removing the catheters and bars on windows, providing civilian uniforms for private security service workers, reducing the number of so-called “thorough personal searches” requesting the detainees to strip naked or squat, improving hygienic standards, or ensuring better contact of detainees with the outside world, e.g., by allowing telephone calls via the Internet, as well as improving medical care.[3]
Also, the CPT reports noticed some shortcomings in the past. In particular, the CPT criticised the fact that placing the detainees in a strict regime may result in de facto solitary confinement in situations when only one foreigner is placed in the strict regime at a time. The CPT recommended that these detainees should be enabled to have adequate daily contact with other people. It also criticised the practice of confiscating mobile phones or the widespread use of so-called “thorough body searches”, as well as the obligation of the detainees to cover the costs of their detention.[4] During the last two visits to the Czech Republic, the CPT did not visit the detention facilities.[5]
As part of the latest Schengen evaluations, the Czech Government was requested to take measures to ensure that the conditions in the Bálková detention centre correspond to the administrative nature of immigration detention. In 2020, the government was instructed to modify the design and layout of the detention facility as much as possible, to avoid restricting access to leisure activities, to improve the sanitary conditions in the detention centre and to repair the sanitary infrastructure.[6] In 2025, it was instructed to improve the detention conditions in the Bálková detention centre by ensuring appropriate maintenance and good state of repair; ensuring that the regime applicable to the detention for foreigners is adjusted to reflect the nature of the administrative detention; providing sufficient possibilities to remain in a meaningful contact with the outside world; applying alternative arrangements for exercise in poor weather conditions.[7]
In the last years, OPU has not registered from the detainees any complaints regarding insufficient cleaning, or insufficient number of showers and toilets for the detainees.
According to the law, the RFA should provide each detainee with a bed, a chair, a locker for storing personal belongings, food and basic hygiene products (which should generally include sanitary towels and other hygienic products for women).[8] According to the Ombudsperson reports, in the past sanitary towels were in some cases not provided to women during periods of overcrowding.[9] In OPU’s experience, at present the hygienic items are provided to the detainees upon request.
In 2025, there have not been reported problems of overcrowding. However, the situation can change depending on the changing migratory patterns. There were reports of overcrowding from 2014 to 2016 (see above) and by the end of 2022[10].
According to the law, the RFA should provide each detainee with a bed, a chair, a locker for storing personal belongings, food and basic hygiene products.[11] It is also OPU’s experience that, at the moment of the drafting of this review, each detainee has their own bed.
Single women, families, families with children and individuals in the process of age assessment are placed in the Bělá-Jezová detention centre. Bálková and Vyšní Lhoty are exclusively for single men. In case of need, other vulnerable individuals (i.e., vulnerable single men) can be placed in Bělá-Jezová detention centre. Normally, all the detainees in Bělá-Jezová are accommodated in the same building. This can, however, lead to a situation where men and women are not accommodated fully separately. (i.e., a single woman might be accommodated in the same building and on the same corridor as a group or men in the process of age assessment). On the other hand, in Bělá-Jezová, the management was in the past able to organize a higher security corridor for vulnerable individuals to which other detainees did not have access to.
Families with children or couples are typically accommodated together in shared rooms, the room for families with children should be adequate to the child’s age.[12] Single detainees usually share their room with one other detainee.
In all of the detention facilities, there are wardrobes with free of charge clean clothes that can be made use of by the detainees.
In the past, Iniciativa Hlavák reported cases of former detainees arriving at Prague main train station after they had been released from the detention centres in inadequate clothing or without adequate backpack or luggage to store their personal belongings (i.e., with only a plastic bag).
The detainees can choose from several different diets depending on their religious or other preferences. Adults receive food three times per day. Children receive food five times per day.
In Bělá-Jezová, Bálková and Vyšní Lhoty, the detainees have access to open-air spaces during the day time. These spaces can be considered of adequate size.
Specific rules apply in case the foreigner is placed under a strict regime (§ 135 Immigration Act). In this situation, they have the right to take a walk within a designated area for a minimum of one hour per day.[13] However, they have to be accompanied by the Immigration Police. The Immigration Police may also restrict or cancel the walk for serious reasons. The possibility to limit or abolish the walk-altogether has been in the past criticized by the CPT.[14]
Activities
In Bělá-Jezová, activities for children are organized by the social workers. Moreover, children who are not officially detained but only accommodated in the detention facility can leave the detention facility upon the consent of their relatives. The RFA tries to organize trips outside of the facility for these children.
The RFA is obliged to enable the attendance to school a foreigner who is subject to compulsory school attendance under the Education Law.[15] Compulsory school attendance applies to foreign nationals who are entitled to reside permanently or temporarily in Czechia for more than 90 days and to applicants for international protection.[16]
Children can receive education in the detention centre or in the Bělá-Jezová village. However, to OPU’s knowledge, this is rarely organized in practice.
Detainees have access to reading or leisure materials. In each facility, there is a library and TV room from which they can borrow reading materials. The RFA should, if possible, provide books, daily newspapers and magazines, including foreign ones, if they are distributed in the Czech Republic.[17]
Detainees also have access to computers or internet boxes. However, some facilities struggle with stable internet connection due to their remote location. Also, as their personal phones are taken away upon entry in the detention facility, the detainees struggle to access accounts requiring two-steps verification.
Health care and special needs in detention
In detention, the law provides for emergency care for conditions that are immediately life-threatening; may lead to sudden death by exacerbating the disease progression; cause permanent disease progression without prompt provision of medical services; cause sudden suffering and pain; cause changes in the behaviour and actions of the person affected, endangering them or those around them; or relate to pregnancy and childbirth, except for artificial termination of pregnancy at the request of the foreigner. Additionally, it includes healthcare in connection with an ordered quarantine or in connection with other measures related to the protection of public health.[18]
The health care is either provided in the detention facility or if needed in a medical facility outside of the detention.[19] Upon request, social workers can also organise, free of charge, counselling with a psychologist.[20]
Single women, families, families with children and individuals in the process of age assessment are placed in the Bělá-Jezová detention centre. Bálková and Vyšní Lhoty are exclusively used for detaining single men. In case of need, other vulnerable individuals (i.e., vulnerable single men), can be placed in the Bělá-Jezová detention centre. Normally, all the detainees in Bělá-Jezová are accommodated in the same building. As noted above, however, this can lead to a situation where men and women are not accommodated fully separately (i.e., a single woman might be accommodated in the same building and on the same corridor as a group or men in the process of an age assessment). On the other hand, in Bělá-Jezová, the management was in the past able to organize a higher security corridor for vulnerable individuals to which other detainees did not have access to.
Social workers should identify any specific reception needs during the first intake interviews. However, OPU is not aware to what extent this is done based on a standardized screening tool. Social workers also organized specialized health care in case of need.
Vulnerable individuals are often kept in detention. Information on a person’s vulnerability is not passed forward between the RFA, the MoI and the Immigration Police. In some cases, vulnerable individuals managed to successfully challenge their detention in courts.
In Bálková and Vyšní Lhoty, OPU is not aware of any additional support provided to vulnerable individuals.
[1] Section 130(2) of the Immigration Act.
[2] Section 132a(2) Immigration Act.
[3] Public Defender of Rights, Report from visit to the facility No 43/2022/NZ, 3 April 2023,available in Czech here; Public Defender of Rights, Report from visit to the facility No 41/2021/NZ, 20 September 2022, available in Czech here; Public Defender of Rights, Report from visit to the facility No 81/2019/NZ, 15 July 2020, available in Czech here; Public Defender of Rights, Report from visit to the facility No 33/2016/NZ, 22 December 2016, available in Czech here.
[4] CPT, Report to the Czech Government on the visit to the Czech Republic carried out by the European Committee
for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 1 to 10 April 2014, March 2015, available here.
[5] CPT, Report to the Government of the Czech Republic on the visit to the Czech Republic carried out by the CPT from 2 to 11 October 2018, July 2019, available here; CPT, Report to the Government of the Czech Republic on the visit to the Czech Republic carried out by the CPT from 16 to 26 April 2024, March 2025, available here.
[6] EU Council, Council Implementing Decision setting out a recommendation on addressing the deficiencies identified in the 2019 evaluation of the Czech Republic on the application of the Schengen acquis in the field of return, 8995/20, June 2020, available here.
[7] European Commission, Schengen evaluation: Czechia, 2024, available here.
[8] Section 134(1)(a) of the Immigration Act.
[9] Public Defender of Rights, Report from visit to the facility No 24/2015/NZ, 9 September 2015, available in Czech here.
[10] Public Defender of Rights, Report from visit to the facility No 43/2022/NZ/, 3 April 2023, available in Czech here.
[11] Section 134(1)(a) of the Immigration Act.
[12] Section 141(4) of the Immigration Act.
[13] Section 134(3) of the Immigration Act.
[14] CPT, Report to the Government of the Czech Republic on the CPT’s visit to the Czech Republic from 1st to 10 April 2014), op. cit.
[15] Section 142(1) of the Immigration Act.
[16] Section 36(2) of the Asylum Act.
[17] Section 134(1)(d) of the Immigration Act.
[18] Section 88(5) of the Asylum Act, section 176 of the Immigration Act.
[19] Section 176(3) of the Immigration Act.
[20] Section 134(4) of the Immigration Act.