Former spokesman to head institute

The new head of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes will be the former spokesman for the Czech Bishops’ Conference, Daniel Herman, the institute said. The institute’s council met on Thursday to select a replacement from nine shortlisted applicants for the job. Mr. Herman won support from five out of its seven members. He will start his five year term on August 16.

The former director, historian Jiří Pernes, was dismissed in May following accusations of plagiarism. The institute, created to investigate Nazi and Communist era crimes with the aid of secret police archives, has experienced a tumultuous time since its creation in 2008.