Ingo Petz

Ingo Petz is a freelance journalist and Belarus expert in Berlin. He was born in 1973 in Stolberg/Rhineland. After studying Eastern European history and Slavic studies in Cologne and Volgograd (Russia), he worked as a trainee at the Kölnische Rundschau. In 2002, he spent two years reporting for German media from New Zealand. In 2004 he was a fellow of the Marion-Gräfin-Dönhoff-Program in Baku, Azerbaijan. He is the author of two books Cuckoo Clocks in Baku. Journey to a Country that Really Exists (2006) and Kiwi Paradise. Journey to a Damn Serene Country (2008). Since November 2020, Petz has been working for the online magazine Dekoder with focus on Belarus. In addition to his work as a journalist, he has organized concerts and readings for Belarusian musicians and writers. For ten years, Petz was active on the board of the German-Belarusian Society. He is considered one of the most distinguished experts on Belarus and has been studying the country for more than 20 years.