Jan ter Laak

Jan ter Laak secretary, departed 11 March 2009 of the Foundation for Human Security in the Middle East. He "is Senior Advisor to the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC), which conducts democracy, human rights and rule of law projects throughout Central and Eastern Europe. He has also served as Secretary General of Pax Christi Netherlands, as Secretary General of the ecumenical Interchurch Peace Council and has worked for Roman Catholic Broadcasting (KRO), in addition to serving as a Roman Catholic priest for 33 years. During the 1980s he travelled extensively in Central and Eastern Europe providing support to independence movements such as Charta 77 and Solidarnosc as well as to human rights groups. Jan has also collaborated extensively with peace and human rights groups in the Balkans, Colombia and Cuba. Many of his experiences are narrated in his book "Reiziger in Vrede: Dagboeknotities" (Traveller in Peace: a Journal). Jan is an expert on church-state relations and the role of churches in human rights efforts in the CCE. He holds Master's degrees in Theology and Classical Languages. "


 * Director, Press Now