Kelam, Tunne

Born in the Taheva Volost of the Valga County (now part of the Valga County ).

Studying and starting a career

After graduating from Tallinn Secondary School No. 2 in 1954, he decided to study history at Tartu State University . After graduation, he was a senior researcher in the Central State Archive of the Estonian SSR from 1959 to 1965 and lecturer in international relations of the Knowledge Society from 1959 to 1970 .

Attempt to join the CPSU

On July 1, 1963, Tunne Kelam appealed to the Tartu City Committee of the Communist Party of Estonia with a request to admit him to the Communist Party. Kelam went there after trying unsuccessfully to join the party by writing a statement to the primary party organization of the State Central Historical Archive of the Estonian SSR.

In a statement, Kelam wrote: “Now, when I look back at the past, I inevitably have one question - why didn’t I join the LKSME?” (LKSME is an abbreviation for the Leninist Communist Youth Union of Estonia , or the Komsomol). “Undoubtedly, this can be fully or partially explained by the influence of the house (the father was a believer). Have they come from such a family into such an organization? Or would the house not change into an arena, where opposing views would clash? I did not have an erroneous or bad idea about the Komsomol, but at the decisive moment, taking into account all the previous, I remained passive. And only at the university I completely got rid of the influence of the past, having mastered the foundations of a clear worldview. ”In conclusion, Kelam writes about the desire“ to make his contribution to the great cause of building communism and to belong to the advanced and organized detachment - the CPSU ”.

The recommendation was given to him by Johannes Kalits, a teacher of history of the Communist Party of the Tartu State University (Johannes Kalits), who approved Kelam’s diligent lecturer work in the Society for the dissemination of political and scientific knowledge of the ESSR. At the same time, the party historian noted that over six years of work in the Society, his ward had conducted nearly 800 lectures, and concluded: “Comrade Kelam is well-versed in issues of the party-political and international situation, educates students in the spirit of party principles ...”

Kelam’s admission to the ranks of the CPSU was prevented by his then colleagues from the Central Historical Archive of the ESSR, who stated that Kelam was a careerist and behaved rudely with his colleagues.

From 1965 to 1975 he was a senior editor of the Estonian Soviet Encyclopedia .

Dissident Activities

Tunne Kelam’s political activity began in 1972 when he drafted a memorandum sent to the UN on behalf of two underground human rights organizations. The memorandum called for an end to the Soviet occupation and the restoration of the Republic of Estonia.

Later he worked closely with the Estonian Democratic Movement led by Sergey Soldatov . He lectured on various topics for various underground groups, among which was the youth movement of Tartu with Yuri Lin at the head.

In 1975, under pressure from the KGB, he was forced to resign. He was hired by the State Library of the Estonian SSR named after Fr. R. Kreutzwald senior bibliographer , where he was fired in 1979 . After that, in 1980 - 1988 he worked as a night watchman at the Rann Poultry Farm.

Activities during the Perestroika era

In 1988 - 1990 he was the Tallinn representative of the Akadeemia magazine ( Est. Akadeemia ), published in Tartu, as well as its editor.

In the late 1980s, he became one of the most prominent nationalist figures in Estonia. He was one of the founders of the Estonian National Independence Party ( ERSP, Eesti Rahvusliku Sõltumatuse Partei ) in 1988 and the initiators of the Estonian Citizens' Committees, the Estonian Independence Movement, from 1989 to 1990 .

From 1990 to 1992, he chaired the Estonian Committee , the executive body of the Estonian Congress , the constituent assembly, which competed with the Supreme Council of Estonia for political power in the republic.

Independent Estonian politician

After the election of a new parliament in the summer of 1992 , the Riigikogu became a member of parliament and remained until 2004 , when he was elected to the European Parliament . In the 2009 European Parliament elections he was re-elected. He served as vice speaker of the Riigikogu from 1992 to 2003 .

Tunne Kelam was also the last chairman of the Estonian National Independence Party ( 1993 - 1995 ) and led the party to merge with the Fatherland National Coalition Party, chaired by Mart Laar . The united party began to be called Isamaaliyt ("Union of the Fatherland"). From 2002 to 2005, Kelam was its chairman. He left this post a few months after being elected to the European Parliament . The only representative of this party in this legislative body.

Member of several non-governmental organizations, including the Human Rights Institute (member since 1997 ), the Christler-Ritso Foundation (member since 1998 ) and the Estonian European Movement (vice president since 1998 ).

Tunne Kelam is the author of two books.

He is an honorary citizen of Maryland ( USA ) since 1991 and is a holder of many awards.

In 2011, the Baltic-American Freedom League awarded Kelam the Freedom Award for his tireless efforts to restore Estonian independence at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s ^[1] .

Father - Peeter Sink - an artist, a preacher, at the end of his life - a priest of the Elva parish of EELC . Mother - composer, conductor and church musician Marye Sink.

The first marriage was married to sociologist Aili Kelam, with whom she has a daughter.

Married with a second marriage to the deputy of the Riigikogu, Marie-Anne Kelam (nee Dotsenko , in her first marriage Rikken ), who was born in 1946 in Germany into a family of refugees from Estonia. Since 1978, Marie-Anne Rikken has been participating in the United States for eight years in protests by Estonian emigrants against the extradition by American authorities of the USSR of Karl Lynnas, the former head of the Tartu concentration camp, who was accused of crimes against humanity.

Brother - composer Kuldar Sink (1942-1995).