cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/43814573
One of the leaders of the pro-Russian Koos party and Estonian citizen Aivo Peterson was sentenced to 14 years in prison for treason by Harju District Court on Thursday.
The trial, which began in November 2023, dealt with allegations of treason against Estonian citizens Peterson and Dmitri Rootsi, as well as claims that Peterson and Russian citizen Andrei Andronov acted to undermine Estonia’s independence.
The charges were connected to meetings with Russian politicians, aligning policy positions, the organization of an independent civil defense organization, and a Russian-funded press trip to occupied Ukraine.
According to the indictment, Peterson and Rootsi, based on instructions received from Russia, knowingly and in an organized manner assisted Russia and people acting on behalf of Russian authorities in non-violent activities directed against the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Estonia from October 2022 to March 10, 2023.
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What in the fuck.
I assume that was meant at the Kaalep part. Yes, he’s a known piece of shit around people in Tartu who frequented bars and such around 10 years ago. I’ve told this story without mentioning the name first and a coworker went “oh, was it Kaalep?” Like I said, the real issue is the lack of solid evidence. Can’t prosecute someone without that. What he said that time was bad enough that it could likely have been prosecuted as hate speech, BUT he was drunk on Rüütli street and not being recorded. If he’d said it as a public statement on Twitter or something, I reckon at least something would’ve been done.