UN experts expressed concern on Monday about legislative and administrative measures taken by the Estonian state against the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church (EOCC), stating that these actions may amount to impermissible restrictions on freedom of religion or belief and minority rights.
The warning was issued by a group of UN Special Rapporteurs, who highlighted a series of steps taken by Estonian authorities, including amendments to the country’s Churches and Congregations Act, the withdrawal of public funding, and the termination of property leases, that disproportionately target the country’s largest Christian denomination. The church is a major institution for Estonia’s Russian-speaking minority.
The two sides in this dispute, the Estonian state and the EOCC, which maintains canonical ties to the Moscow Patriarchate, are entangled in a conflict where national security concerns following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine intersect with the protections of religious freedom. The UN experts assert that spiritual allegiance is a core, protected component of religious identity.
In their official statement, the Special Rapporteurs emphasized that international law sets a high bar for any state intervention in religious affairs. They stated, “National security is not a permissible ground for restricting freedom of religion or belief.” “Such actions disrupt normal religious life and may undermine the autonomy that should be granted under freedom of religion or belief,” the experts continued.
Consequently, the experts hold that Estonia’s measures may violate its obligations under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights. They called for a halt to all targeted actions pending a constitutional review by Estonia’s Supreme Court, which was triggered by the country’s president.
The intervention by UN experts is a non-binding diplomatic measure.