The European Parliament deputies Tatjana Zdanoka and Yana Toom have turned to the court of Estonia with a request for information on the case of Sergei Seredenko. MEPs Toom and Zdanoka are asking to explain the reasons for the decision to hold the trial behind closed doors. This decision was taken on the 22nd of October, during the preliminary court hearing. The request by the MEPs is addressed to Harju County Court.
The letter by the MEPs also specifies, “For many years, Sergei Seredenko has been an activist who fought for the interests of the Estonian Russian community. Many people living in Estonia share his position on Russian language education and aliens’ passports. According to the publicly available information, Seredenko’s activities have never gone beyond the scope of political activism. Being an Estonian citizen, he has always acted within the bounds of the law. That is why the decision to hold his trial behind closed doors predictably gives rise to mistrust.”
The MEPs Toom and Zdanoka conclude the letter by requesting to urgently provide the explanation why a trial that is a matter of deep public interest should be ruled closed to the public and whether there are prerequisites to hold the trial public.
According to the Estonian Public Broadcasting, Sergei Seredenko has been held in pre-trial custody since March 2021. The agency also reported in one of its publications on the case that Seredenko’s colleagues with the United Left Party of Estonia Seredenko is a member of have expressed their bewilderment with the charges offered against Sergei Seredenko.
The court session on Seredenko scheduled for December 8th has been postponed until January 2022.
