Dienstbier rejects accusations his bureau has not cooperated

The government minister for human rights, Jiří Dienstbier, held a special press conference on Friday where he rejected accusations his bureau was not cooperating fully after a disagreement on new civil service legislation. He said his office had, on the contrary, been providing the Interior Ministry with the relevant documentation since Thursday morning. He also denied that he and the prime minister were at odds over the legislation, despite having slammed a compromise by the coalition over the bill a day earlier. Mr Dienstbier criticised the agreement as it would place oversight of bureaucrats in the hands of the Ministry of the Interior rather than an independent body headed by a so-called “super-bureaucrat”, which was originally envisaged by the government.

Author: Jan Velinger