Government dismisses Kocáb as human rights commissioner

Michael Kocáb has been dismissed as government commissioner for human rights. Mr Kocáb had already tendered his resignation, but said he planned to stay on as human rights commissioner until a successor was installed. Prime Minister Petr Nečas announced on Wednesday that the cabinet had voted to remove him with immediate effect, saying a number of names were in contention for the post.

In the early 1990s Mr Kocáb, then best known as a rock musician, became an MP and oversaw the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Czechoslovakia. In more recent times he served as minister for human rights in a caretaker Czech government.