Tallinn, August 5, 2025
St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn. Photo: romfea.gr
Estonia’s Constitutional Committee voted Monday to support proceeding with a contentious law targeting the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church in its original form, despite the bill being rejected twice by President Alar Karis as potentially unconstitutional.
The Law on Churches and Parishes, which has drawn criticism for its broad scope affecting religious organizations, was declined by President Karis for a second time in early July. The president has argued that the current version of the law is too general and affects the operations of parishes, not just their connections with foreign states. Lawmakers are attempting to ban the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church because of its affiliation with the Moscow Patriarchate, which Parliament formally declared last year to be a supporter of military aggression.
The Constitutional Committee’s decision was not unanimous, highlighting divisions within Parliament. Anastasia Kovalenko-Kõlvart from the Centre Party voted against the proposal, while Ants Frosch from Isamaa abstained.
Committee Chairman Ando Kiviberg from Eesti 200 defended the legislation, stating that national security concerns outweigh religious freedom considerations. “The purpose of this bill has been quite clear and unambiguous from the beginning,” Kiviberg said. “Given the changed situation in the world and taking into account where Estonia is located and under what influence we have been in recent years, we have no other choice.”
He added: “In this case, our national security considerations significantly outweigh people’s right to, for example, under the pretext of freedom of religion, do whatever they want, including evil.”
At the same time, the authorities have never been able to provide an example of how the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church poses a threat to national security.
Kiviberg argued that the restrictions in the law are sufficiently clear, using an example of preventing radical religious organizations from receiving instructions from abroad to harm others. He also suggested the president would likely appeal to the Supreme Court if the law passes unchanged.
However, Kovalenko-Kõlvart strongly criticized the Parliament’s approach, arguing, like the President, that it contradicts the constitution. “The Centre Party and I personally voted against the decision to adopt this law unchanged,” she said. “This is a very big problem—the Riigikogu consciously wants to vote for a bill that contradicts the constitution, knowing that the President will most likely then appeal to the Supreme Court.”
She emphasized that the President had pointed out the law could affect not only churches but other associations, including political parties. The Centre Party had proposed specific amendments, including provisions that local churches should not be required to follow orders that could threaten Estonia’s state security and public order.
“Such orders would have no legal force, and from a legal point of view, they should not be relied upon,” Kovalenko-Kõlvart explained. She also noted that existing laws already address issues like treason or incitement to military hostility.
The final decision on whether to send the bill back to Parliament’s main hall will be made by the Legal Affairs Committee. Committee Chairman Madis Timpson from the Reform Party indicated that his committee would begin reviewing the bill in September, though he suggested it would likely also recommend proceeding without changes.
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