“The situation is really unprecedented”: why the OSCE drew attention to the problem of media freedom in Estonia

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Arlem Desir called on Tallinn to stop putting pressure on journalists from the Estonian bureau of the Sputnik agency (founded by MIA Russia Today).

I wrote to #Estonia authorities about measures targeting journalists of Sputnik Estonia following individual sanctions against Mr Kiselev. I encourage authorities to refrain from unnecessary limitations on the work of foreign media which can affect the free flow of information.

“I sent a written appeal to the Estonian authorities regarding the measures against the Estonian branch of Sputnik agency, which followed personal sanctions against Mr. Kiselyov. I urge the authorities to refrain from introducing unnecessary restrictions on the work of foreign media that could affect the free flow of information, ”Desir wrote on his Twitter.

We will remind you that earlier Sputnik Estonia employees received letters from the country's police and border guard department demanding to terminate labor relations with the parent organization - Russia Today MIA - until January 1, 2020. Otherwise, they were threatened with criminal charges.

It was noted that such measures are due to sanctions imposed by the EU in the spring of 2014 against a number of individuals and legal entities in the light of events in Ukraine, although MIA Russia Today does not appear on the sanctions lists.

Madis Reimand, head of the Estonian money-laundering agency of the Police and Border Guard Department, later said that the actions of the security forces were allegedly legal and related to personal sanctions imposed against Dmitry Kiselev, director of MIA Russia Today. According to the official, restrictive measures also imply a ban on cooperation with persons falling under them.

“These obligations apply to both legal entities and individuals, that is, it is forbidden to work for a person who is subject to sanctions and render services to him,” Raimand said, adding that Estonian law criminalizes violation of the sanctions regime.

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• © Alexander Kryazhev

Meanwhile, experts note that the criminal prosecution of journalists for their professional activities is contrary to international standards.

“In principle, sanctions against journalists cannot be applied, since they contradict a number of international agreements. Most likely, the Estonian authorities use these formulations to somehow explain the current situation. Unfortunately, today in many countries of the world there is a situation where journalists are being persecuted because of their position, which differs from the official policy of the authorities, ”said Sergey Margulis, professor of the Department of International Politics and Foreign Regional Studies of the Institute of Social Sciences of the RANEPA, in an interview with RT.

A similar opinion is shared by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).

“Although restrictions may imply certain types of restrictions on people included in sanctions lists, none of these lists say that a person can be prosecuted for working with certain media,” explained Timur Shafir, vice president of the organization. RT interview.

In the fall, the Estonian branches of international banking groups froze the flow of funds in Estonia's Sputnik accounts, including payroll. Because of this, the owners of the premises rented by the editorial office in Tallinn terminated the office lease agreement.

Harassment Sputnik Estonia takes other forms. As the editorial director Elena Cherysheva said, now many Estonian politicians are simply afraid to comment on the Russian agency.

“The Minister of Education and Science during a long gestation had to apologize to fellow party members for commenting to our journalist,” said Cherysheva, calling the incident an overt political order.

Commenting on the situation around Sputnik Estonia during the annual press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Moscow will do everything to support Sputnik in its work abroad. Speaking about the situation in Estonia, the head of state noted that he was surprised by such actions by the leadership of the European country in relation to the media.

• kremlin.ru

“They always try to accuse us of some mortal sins, including pressure on independent media, and they themselves are doing the same thing that they accuse us of. This, of course, is amazing cynicism, ”Putin said.

The press service of the Russia Today MIA called the actions of official Tallinn blatant arbitrariness and announced their intention to appeal to the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, UNESCO and the ECHR with a demand to evaluate this unprecedented case of an attack on freedom of speech.

In addition, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of MIA Rossiya Segodnya and the RT channel, appealed to Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, urging her not to allow the arrest of journalists.

Recall that Estonia is the only Baltic republic in whose territory the full-fledged editorial board of Sputnik operates. 35 people work there, most of whom have Estonian citizenship.

"The argument is far-fetched"

It should be noted that the actions of the Estonian authorities were puzzled not only in Russia, but also in Estonia itself. According to Estonian MP Ms Jana Toom, in this way the leadership of the Baltic republic transfers its negative attitude towards Russia to journalists.

“I read these letters. The arguments in them are far-fetched, ”Toom said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The deputy added that she did not understand why such a situation arose, since the Estonian authorities had no visible reasons for such actions.

“Sputnik has been working for several years. They were not sued in Estonia, they were not filed a complaint with the Press Council. They were never caught on the fact that they did something bad and wrong. This is just a transfer of attitude to Russia on Sputnik. I think this is the case, ”Toom said.

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The former prime minister of the republic, the former leader of the Center Party, Edgar Savisaar, was outraged by the actions of Tallinn, calling the authorities’ action wrong.

“The media should be free, even if we don’t like them. The centrist party has always stood for freedom of the press. This applies to Russia, as well as other countries. We cannot remain silent about such things, ”Savisaar wrote on Facebook.

As Timur Shafir noted in an interview with RT, the situation looks even more egregious when you consider that the threat of criminal prosecution has been voiced by the Estonian authorities to their own citizens.

“At the same time, it should be noted that in the Baltic countries Sputnik Estonia is the only Russian-language media,” added Shafir.

The UN has so far limited itself to stating that the organization is trying to understand the threat situation against Sputnik Estonia.

Sergey Margulis doubts that official Tallinn will somehow respond to the calls of the OSCE and other international structures.

“Perhaps some reaction will follow, but it will not fundamentally affect the position of Estonia. So far, international organizations can only give recommendations to Tallinn, ”the expert believes.

According to Timur Shafir, if the authorities realize their threats, this will be a serious reason for lawsuits by Sputnik Estonia employees.

“The situation is really unprecedented. Of course, all public, professional organizations can express their attitude, but this is not enough. Journalists are threatened with criminal prosecution, and this is not a joke, not just some statements. In the event that this situation becomes practical, such instruments as the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the domestic state courts of Estonia should be involved. But I hope that it will not come to a real criminal prosecution, ”he concluded.