Estonian police are expected to respond within 30 days to the Rossiya Segodnya news agency's request that they reconsider their push for criminal proceedings against Sputnik Estonia employees, a lawyer for the agency told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th December, 2019) Estonian police are expected to respond within 30 days to the Rossiya Segodnya news agency's request that they reconsider their push for criminal proceedings against Sputnik Estonia employees, a lawyer for the agency told Sputnik.Earlier in December, the Estonian Police and Border Guard board warned Sputnik Estonia that its journalists could face criminal prosecution if they did not sever their ties with Rossiya Segodnya, the Moscow-based parent news agency, by January 1. To justify their treats of legal action, the Estonian authorities have invoked the 2014 EU sanctions.
On Friday, Rossiya Segodnya requested that the Estonian authorities reconsider its actions. The appeal, seen by Sputnik, states that Rossiya Segodnya is not included in the EU sanctions lists, although its general director, Dmitry Kiselev, is, and that sanctions can only be implemented against entities and persons mentioned in a sanctions list directly.
"After submitting the appeal to the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, we expect to receive a response with the decision of the representatives of the department within 30 days. This is the practice. After that, it will be possible to file a complaint with the court within 30 days, if necessary," the lawyer said.
According to the lawyer, the appeal says that Rossiya Segondya is not owned by the person who is included in the sanctions list.
He refused to predict Estonia's decision, saying that this was a "special, difficult case."
"We do not know which decision will be taken by [the Estonian] department. Let's see how the department will explain its decision. We have had short letters to this day. There was no analysis of the situation, but sanctions are already being applied. The situation is unfair," he concluded.
The situation with Sputnik Estonia has already sparked an international reaction, with Harlem Desir, the head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe media watchdog, urging Tallinn to "refrain from unnecessary limitations on the work of foreign media that can affect the free flow of information." Brussels, in turn, has pledged to deal with the matter, adding that the implementation and enforcement of the EU's restrictive measures was the unique responsibility of individual member states.
