Estonian court sentences leaders of anti-NATO party for Treason
On Thursday, the Harju District Court sentenced Aivo Peterson, co-founder of the conservative Koos party, to 14 years in prison for treason. His associates, Dmitri Rootsi and Andrei Andronov, received sentences of 11 years and 11 years and six months, respectively. All three have denied any wrongdoing and plan to appeal the verdict.
Prosecutors alleged that the defendants promoted “narratives supporting Russia’s foreign and security policy” with the goal of undermining public confidence in NATO and Estonia’s military support for Ukraine.
“The defendants deliberately assisted Russia in activities directed against the Estonian state and society,” said State Prosecutor Triinu Olev-Aas.
Founded in 2022, Koos advocates for Estonia’s withdrawal from NATO, a neutral stance in global conflicts, the removal of foreign troops from its territory, and abstention from involvement in international military engagements.
In 2023, Peterson visited the Donetsk People’s Republic, territory considered occupied by Ukraine. At the time, he stated that his trip was intended to gather information on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. “There are two sides to every conflict, but the information we receive from Estonian media is one-sided. All of our journalists support Kiev, which often comes across as propaganda,” he said.
The Koos party rejected the allegations, claiming prosecutors failed to provide “concrete proof that their actions had caused real damage to Estonia’s constitutional order or security.”
Estonia is a leading supporter of Ukraine and has advocated for increased militarization in Europe. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described Estonia as “one of the most hostile countries” in June, accusing Tallinn of “spreading myths and falsehoods about the supposed threat from the East.”
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