Interview with Czech vice Council in London Embassy
reports@indymedia.org.uk | 01.10.2000 12:01
At five o'clock Friday the 29th, an activist who had requested to talk to a representative of the Czech state was granted an interview with Vice Consul Milan Coupek inside the Czech embassy in Notting Hill - where a picket has been held for the last three days in response to reports of police brutality and torture of political activists in Czech prisons - who shut down the IMF/World Bank conference on Tuesday. A IMC UK reporter was also admitted to the interview.
The Vice Consul confirmed that the number of UK citizens being held in Pilzen ready to be sent out of the Czech state was 16, and that a further 15 were still held in prisons in Prague. These figures tally with the British Vice Consul's figure given this morning by telephone from Prague. Mr Coupek noted that no one was being formally 'deported'. The activist told the Vice Consul that he had come to "register with a representative of the Czech state the concerns over the reports of brutality". Mr Coupek replied that he was "sure there had been no rapes", that that "sounds crazy", but could not confirm that there had not been any sexual mistreatment of women protestors. He noted also that he had received the news release of the reports - prepared by UK activists, and that he had forwarded this to the Czech Foreign Office.
When asked about Nick Burns' (the British Vice Consul) statement this morning that the British Embassy was not able to make telephone contact with the prisons, Mr Coupek replied that he did not have any information that enabled him to comment on it. Neither did he have any information about the reported mistreatment of Israeli activists from anti-Semitic Czech police. He was aware, he said, of the worldwide protests over police mistreatment aimed at Czech embassies, and noted that the Embassy in Barcelona had been "attacked" today.
The Vice Consul, in reply to the claim that one third of all Czech police are members of far right political groups, stated categorically that this was not the case.
The man who was arrested yesterday outside the Czech embassy in London - as the picket there was dispersing voluntarily - was held for 18 hours and then released with no charge made against him.
The Vice Consul invited the activist to return on Monday and speak with the Consul, who he said had waited at the arranged time of 4pm to speak with UK activists, but had left when they did not keep the appointment.
When asked about Nick Burns' (the British Vice Consul) statement this morning that the British Embassy was not able to make telephone contact with the prisons, Mr Coupek replied that he did not have any information that enabled him to comment on it. Neither did he have any information about the reported mistreatment of Israeli activists from anti-Semitic Czech police. He was aware, he said, of the worldwide protests over police mistreatment aimed at Czech embassies, and noted that the Embassy in Barcelona had been "attacked" today.
The Vice Consul, in reply to the claim that one third of all Czech police are members of far right political groups, stated categorically that this was not the case.
The man who was arrested yesterday outside the Czech embassy in London - as the picket there was dispersing voluntarily - was held for 18 hours and then released with no charge made against him.
The Vice Consul invited the activist to return on Monday and speak with the Consul, who he said had waited at the arranged time of 4pm to speak with UK activists, but had left when they did not keep the appointment.
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