Berit is Secretary General.
She is primarily responsible for the committee’s work on human rights in Europe.
For more than 20 years, Berit has worked on democracy building and human rights issues, primarily in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, but also through assignments in Asia and Africa. She has extensive experience with international election observation and as an election expert and is passionate about the individual’s right to co-determination and sees the value of free and fair elections.
Berit has worked with most of the Helsinki Committee’s core countries, but has generally been responsible for Azerbaijan and Belarus. She has also been our communications manager for many years.
“Over the years, I have experienced that many of my friends and colleagues, in countries such as Belarus, Azerbaijan and elsewhere, have been harassed, imprisoned and forced into exile to do a job very similar to mine. It fills me with a sense of duty, a need to show solidarity, and at the same time a deep gratitude for how well Norwegian democracy works, she says”
Berit has a law degree, specializes in foreign law, and has also learned Russian and French. She has lived for long periods in Ukraine, France and in Russia. She recently spent a three-year sabbatical year in Mali, West Africa.
