Less than a week after the ministry vehemently defended a plan to amend the Criminal Code and impose penalties for viewing terrorist propaganda, Estonian Interior Minister Igor Taro has drastically changed his position and announced that he will withdraw the bill, ERR News reports.
On the 15th of September, the Interior Minister announced on social media that criticism had proven that the plan was poorly thought out and unprepared. He admitted his guilt by prematurely presenting the plan to the wider public. Taro explained that the creation and dissemination of terrorist propaganda also poses security risks in Estonia, but restrictions must be legally clear and proportionate to freedom of speech and expression. The minister added that
there can be no question of “thought police,” ideological surveillance or unreasonable surveillance,
and moving in that direction was not his goal.
Just days earlier, Taro had been a vocal advocate of the bill. He criticized experts on the 11th of September, writing that constructive recommendations and a deeper focus on solving the problem should be provided, rather than creating unnecessary, media-fueled panic.
The minister also cited an incredible level of ignorance about the growing problem, which has created a situation where authorities can only intervene after a crime has already been committed.
On the 14th of September, Taro wrote that the public has been given the impression that law enforcement agencies need ideological control to prevent crime, which is not the case: “Which is completely absurd and underestimates the capabilities of our police and security agencies to handle these issues within the framework of the current legal system.”
Taro’s proposed bill has also been opposed by members of his own party.
Read also: Estonia plans to introduce penalties for spreading terrorist propaganda