The presenter of Radio Sky Plus took an artist, student and civil activist to court for defamation as the latter had drawn up a public petition to have him removed from the radio. The petition was a response to the presenter’s statements, which the activist considered to be demeaning towards minorities. The presenter requested the court to order the activist to pay €75,000 as compensation and to remove the “defamatory” content.
The case focused on the right to freedom of expression and its limits, in particular in relation to public criticism and petitions.
The litigation went through several stages, but did not make it to the Supreme Court. The Tallinn Circuit Court’s disposition, which confirmed that a public petition is a legitimate and permissible way of exercising one’s freedom of speech, was upheld.
The client was represented by attorney-at-law Meris Velling (Law Firm Liverte).
Read the detailed information of the case in Estonian.
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