Janusz Reiter

not without my passport

In communist-ruled Poland, the passport was a symbol of freedom, of the freedom to travel, and it was either dosed or even withheld by those in power. I waited years for it. For most people in Poland it is now just a document, but for me it is still a piece of freedom.

Janusz Reiter

Janusz Reiter is founder and chairman of the independent Center for International Relations in Warsaw. He studied German language and literature at the University of Warsaw and began his career in journalism. He worked for several months in the editorial department of the ZEIT in Hamburg and wrote for various Polish and German newspapers. After the introduction of martial law in Poland in December 1981 he was active in the democratic opposition movement. 1990 he became the ambassador of Poland to Germany. Later he worked as ambassador to the United States and as Special Envoy for Climate Change. Reiter also assumed leading positions in private business.

Image Information

Janusz Reiter’s passport, HIAS