18 Facts About Tunne Kelam

Tunne-Valdo Kelam was born on 10 July 1936 and is an Estonian politician and former Member of the European Parliament from Estonia.

Tunne Kelam is a member of the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union, part of the European People's Party.

Tunne Kelam was a senior researcher in the State Central Archives in Tartu and a senior scientific editor of the Estonian Soviet Encyclopaedia in Tallinn.

From 1959 till 1970, as a member of the "Science" society, Kelam was part-time lecturer and columnist on international relations.

Tunne Kelam narrowly escaped arrest but lost his job in the Encyclopaedia and all his public activities were suppressed.

Tunne Kelam stayed for the next dozen years under strict KGB surveillance but continued to operate half-underground, organizing unofficial opposition groups and passing to the West information about human rights violations in the Soviet occupied Estonia.

From 1979 till 1987 Tunne Kelam was employed as a night-shift worker on a state poultry farm.

In February 1990 Tunne Kelam was elected to the Congress of Estonia - a transition time representative body of Estonian citizens, which aspired for full-fledged independent statehood on the basis of the legal continuity of the Republic of Estonia.

From 1990 to 1992 Tunne Kelam served as chairman of the Estonian Committee, an executive body of the Congress of Estonia.

Tunne Kelam was member of the Constitutional Assembly and was elected to the first constitutional parliament, the Riigikogu, in 1992, where he served until 2004.

Tunne Kelam was a Vice Speaker of Riigikogu and chairman of the European Affairs Committee.

Tunne Kelam was elected to the membership of the European Parliament in 2004, in 2009 and in 2014.

Tunne Kelam is a board member of the Human Rights Institute, the Kistler-Ritso Foundation which built the Museum of Occupations in Tallinn and was chief elder of the Estonian Scouting Association.

Tunne Kelam is a founding signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism.

Tunne Kelam initiated the publication of the book "Reunification of Europe" which presents the 20th century experiences of ten post-Communist EU member states.

Tunne Kelam has been decorated with the Estonian Order of the Coat of Arms, 1st class, with the French Grand Officier de l'Ordre National du Merite, with Robert Schuman medal and honorary diploma, with the Baltic Parliamentary Assembly's Diploma and the Sash of Honour for the outstanding contribution to the restoration of independence, with Rotary International Paul Harris award etc.

Tunne Kelam is honorary citizen of the State of Maryland.

Tunne Kelam is married to Mari-Ann Kelam, a politician and former press spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.