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Roland Jahn, Head of the Stasi Archives

11.03.2012 Roland Jahn has a background in broadcast journalism and sincee March 2011 he has been head of the German government's caretaker agency for East German Stasi archives.

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Born in Jena in 1953, Roland Jahn was co-founder of a peace movement opposed to the East German Communist regime. He took part in demonstrations for greater freedom of expression in the country. His activities caught the attention of the secret police and landed him in jail. In 1983 he was chained, put on a train and forcibly deported to West Germany. As a TV journalist he reported from West Berlin with a focus on the human rights abuses and environmental destructionccaused by the East German regime. After the fall of Communism he covered the aftermath of party dictatorship. Last year he took over as head of the government's agency in charge of dealing with East German Stasi archives. Now 58, Jahn has said that during his tenure he wants to focus on conformity in times of dictatorship. Roland Jahn lives in Berlin.