Dear reader
I’m writing these lines from Gambia, a young democracy that freed itself from dictatorship less than ten years ago. Today, there are many here who stand for women’s rights, for true freedom of speech and thought. Ordinary citizens have a lot of freedom – a careless word does not lead to imprisonment. However, activists are concerned that laws still exist which allow the punishment of dissenting opinions.
In Estonia, we are very fortunate. I can certainly confirm that the greatest change in my life occurred on the day Estonia became an independent republic. No longer did we have to navigate cautiously, worrying about whether those in power would be offended. As one islander lamented after World War II – this new power is so easily offended, it’s hard to know how to behave. Even the last government of the Republic of Estonia before we lost our independence was easily offended. Censorship was enforced, non-Estonianized names were frowned upon, and radio programs sometimes slighted those with Germanic names.
The new Republic of Estonia was not offended by anything. The press could and can write whatever it wants. Occasionally, successors of the propaganda department’s information department have tried to ensure that Estonian papers do not publish false or otherwise objectionable content. I hope we never reach that point because our freedom depends on whether we can engage the public through journalism in discussing any societal issue. Of course, freedom also comes with responsibility. No one should play with freedom of speech to justify hateful speech, lazy editorial work, or denigrating another’s worldview. Misuse of freedom is a threat to freedom itself. All our other freedoms, as we find them in the constitution, depend on the freedom of respectful discourse.
Of course, we do not debate inalienable human rights – the right to life, freedom from torture and other forms of violence. We do not question the right to fair trial, non-discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, or the rights of people with disabilities. However, forming an understanding of the uniformity of rights – whether they depend on some immutable characteristic of a person or not – is a bit more complicated. We debate this.
Regulating the freedom of assembly, the right to a clean environment, and intergenerational equality get even more complicated. For example, the Supreme Court decided by a narrow majority to abolish the mandatory pension pillar, although there were judges who found the imposition of a greater pension burden on future generations at the expense of current wage earners unacceptable. And of course, every right is limited by the principle that my right cannot harm the rights of others – we must agree on our own boundaries. Always.
Thus, we have moved from the simple and clear assertion that we are free and our rights are balanced with obligations, to a minefield of different opinions. Does a citizen have the right to a fair tax system? What is a right, including a social right? This has always been quite difficult to agree upon in Estonia. Politicians have a duty to lead – not to impose their will but to convince in debate that their ideas are just for the society as a whole. Naturally, our worldview influences us and we tend to deviate from the center. But that’s what free elections are for, to then push the pendulum to the other extreme. If different political forces together defend our freedoms and rights, do not question them, and consider that today’s opposition is tomorrow’s coalition, then our freedoms and rights cannot go terribly wrong.
Compared to the previous report, human rights for same-sex couples in Estonia have radically improved – at the time of the last report’s publication in 2021, we were rather concerned about the shrinking of this freedom. In retrospect, Estonian society debated this issue and concluded that freedom is more important than worldview.
Children’s rights have also improved – the age of sexual consent finally shifted from 14 to 16 years, after a quite cynical debate that lasted for about twenty years. There is still progress to be made. In our tax system, where payment is proportional and even the poorer contribute quite a lot, but supports are universal, social justice is somewhat lacking. Despite a long wait, children who witness domestic violence have not yet been recognized as victims, although specialists have long considered it impossible to think otherwise.
This report measures our steps, sometimes giant strides. Estonia is a very free country – that is good. But with that comes greater responsibility for every individual citizen when the state demands less of us.
Happy reading!
President Kersti Kaljulaid