Czech Human Rights Commissioner nominates former Culture Minister to Human Rights Council for organizing buyout of pig farm on Holocaust site

Czech Human Rights Commissioner Helena Válková (ANO) has nominated the former Culture Minister, Daniel Herman, as a member of the Czech Government Council on Human Rights. She had previously informed the Deník N daily that the nomination is for his “exemplary attitude” toward the scandal of the industrial pig farm located on the site of a former concentration camp for Romani people at Lety, which is now in the process of being removed.

Herman is meant to replace the philosopher Daniel Kroupa, who resigned from the Human Rights Council in April exactly because of Válková’s nomination to the Commissioner post. “I am glad [Herman] has expressed interest in membership. I think nobody knows that issue as well as he does, he has long been involved with it and worked for many institutions that are closely connected with protecting basic human rights,” the Commissioner said.

“I would like to propose the former Culture Minister, Mr Daniel Herman, for his exemplary attitude in the case of Lety,” Válková, who is also an MP, told Deník N in mid-May. “It’s to his credit that finally a memorial to the Holocaust victims of Romani origin can be built at a dignified location.”

The Commissioner has signed her proposal and is waiting for it to be approved by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO). Herman wrote to Deník N to say that he and the Commissioner had primarily discussed Romani issues.

“The question of human rights generally is a subject I have been involved with for many years and I am doing my best to accent it in my activity. For example, the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the persecution of Christians, and forced organ harvesting from practicing members of the Falun Gong in China,” Herman said when asked what he would like to concentrate on through the Council.