Strasbourg, France, July 21, 2025
Photo: pravlife.info
The Estonian Orthodox Christian Church and Pükhtitsa Monastery have filed complaints with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after, in their view, domestic legal remedies have been exhausted. The appeals stem from a political statement adopted by the Riigikogu in May 2024, in which the Moscow Patriarchate was declared an institution supporting the aggression of the Russian Federation.
Given that, according to the Estonian Parliament, the Estonian Church and monastery also fall under the scope of this statement, they turned to administrative court seeking to eliminate the legal consequences and exclude themselves from the list of war supporters.
“If the Riigikogu, in making such a statement, did not ensure that it does not affect religious associations registered in Estonia that operate according to state laws, and does not provoke hostile attitudes toward them, while the judicial system did not consider itself competent to review the substance of complaints against a political statement by Parliament, this creates a dangerous situation in which a person has no legal remedies against unjust and hostile political statements,” explained Steven-Christo Evestus and Arthur Knyazev, who represent the Church and monastery.
In the complaints filed with the ECHR, the applicants see violations by the Republic of Estonia of Articles 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) and 11 (freedom of assembly and association) of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, reports postimees.ee.
The Church and monastery disagree with the Riigikogu’s position that a political statement addressed to a foreign entity can affect religious associations registered in Estonia.
“The ECHR in its previous practice has repeatedly emphasized that protection of freedom of religion includes protection of the autonomy of religious communities and their organizational structure and doesn’t allow actions that damage their reputation or otherwise discriminate against them. Since the Church and monastery were mistakenly classified as supporters of Russian aggression in the Riigikogu statement, this became a serious violation of their rights and a source of dangerous consequences,” the lawyers explained.
The ECHR has accepted the complaints for consideration, determining they raise significant questions about religious freedom that require urgent review. The court has classified the case as having potential serious public importance and has asked Estonia to respond while exploring possibilities for a settlement. Central to the proceedings is whether the parliamentary statement violated the applicants’ religious freedom under the European Convention and, if so, whether such government interference was legally justified and necessary in a democratic society.
“This decision clearly shows that in the current geopolitical situation, freedom of religion and freedom of association deserve the same protection as security considerations,” the lawyers emphasized.
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The Estonian Parliament has twice passed legislation that would effectively ban the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church due to its Moscow Patriarchate ties, but President Alar Karis has rejected the bill both times for violating constitutional protections of religious freedom and association. Despite parliamentary amendments, Karis maintained the law still conflicts with three constitutional articles and disproportionately restricts religious rights, calling for clearer definitions of dangerous foreign influence rather than broad interference with church teachings and practices.
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