The President of Estonia refused to approve the law on the demolition of Soviet monuments

Estonian President Alar Karis did not approve the amendments adopted by the Parliament that would simplify the demolition of Soviet monuments. It is reported by RBC with reference to the office of the head of state.

The draft law on amendments to the Building Code, the law on the application of the Building Code and the law on state property was submitted by the government on November 14 last year. The State Assembly adopted the document on 15 February.

The bill provides that a part of a building, monument, sculpture, monument or other structures open to public view “should not incite hatred, as well as support or justify the occupation regime, the commission of an act of aggression, genocide, a crime against humanity or a war crime.” The amendments indicated the need to bring the facilities in line with the new requirements within six months after the entry into force of the law.

Karis considered that the article of the adopted law, which lists the objects for demolition, is legally unclear. “This is a reasonable goal, but prohibited objects are indicated in the law by an expression that cannot be unambiguously interpreted using generally accepted methods of interpretation,” the president said.

According to him, it follows from the explanatory note that objects related to the activities of the Soviet government are primarily prohibited, but the ban itself is formulated much more broadly in the bill itself. “The principle of legal clarity requires that the law be sufficiently clear and understandable so that everyone can foresee the actions of the state and adjust their actions accordingly,” the head of state explained.

Last November, the country decided to replace or demolish 244 Soviet monuments. In January, the Estonian government allocated 916,000 euros for the dismantling and relocation of Soviet military monuments.