UN expresses concern over escalating pressure on Estonian Orthodox Church

UN. Photo: economist.com

UN experts have expressed serious concern over the growing use of legislative and administrative measures by the Estonian authorities targeting the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church (EOCC). This is stated in an official press release published on the UN website on 15 December 2025.

According to the experts, amendments to the Churches and Congregations Act, a court ruling issued in May 2025, and public statements by state bodies questioning the canonical status of the EOCC may lead to impermissible restrictions on freedom of religion and the rights of national minorities.

The document stresses that measures formally presented as general in nature are, in practice, applied almost exclusively to the EOCC because of its historical canonical ties to the Moscow Patriarchate. In the experts’ view, this has created a hostile environment incompatible with the state’s obligation to maintain religious neutrality.

The experts pointed to a series of specific actions, including the withdrawal of state funding, the exclusion of the Church from consultative processes, restrictions on residence permits for clergy, “undisclosed security assessments,” the termination of long-term leases for church premises in Tallinn, a sharp increase in insurance premiums for the Pühtitsa Convent, and the effective expulsion of senior hierarchs without proper procedural safeguards.

At the same time, the statement emphasizes that “such actions disrupt normal religious life and may undermine the autonomy that should be granted under freedom of religion or belief.”

The experts also recalled that any limitations must be justified with careful attention to full respect of human rights, including proportionality, necessity and non-discrimination.

The UN welcomed the decision by Estonian President Alar Karis not to sign the legislative amendments and to refer them to the Supreme Court for constitutional review. The experts called on the authorities to suspend administrative and judicial actions against the EOCC until the review is completed and to begin inclusive consultations with religious and ethnic communities.

The statement was signed by UN independent expert George Katrougalos, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Nazila Ghanea, and Special Rapporteur on minority issues Nicolas Levrat.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Bishop Daniil of the Estonian Orthodox Christian Church warned that state pressure is undermining social peace and freedom of religion.

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