He played an active role in building up free media in then occupied Estonia, being among the founders of the Independent Info Centre in 1988.

He was greatly inspired by his then professor, well-known Estonian orientalist Linnart Mäll (1938-2010), whose work in the Unrepresented Peoples and Nations Organization (UNPO) he followed with keen interest.

He was the driving force behind the adoption of the statement on crimes of communism (link) in the Estonian Parliament (2002), which was approved by an impressive consensus.

In Azerbaijan his stern stance with the authorities won him much respect among human rights defenders and civil society activists.

Andres Herkel has published several books in Estonian, including The Russian Puzzle (Vene mõistatus, 2007) Cuba in my Heart (Kuuba südames, together with former PM Mart Laar, 2008) and Azerbaijani letters (Aserbaidžaani kirjad, 2010).

Herkel has also published poetry and is an essay-writer in Estonia (prizes by the main Estonian literary journal Looming (1993) and cultural weekly Sirp (1998)).