Estonia’s Orthodox Church Challenges Moscow-Ties Law at European Rights Court

KUREMÄE, ESTONIA — The Estonian Christian Orthodox Church (EKÕK) and Pühtitsa Convent in Kuremäe have filed complaints with the European Court of Human Rights challenging legislation requiring the Church to sever administrative ties with the Moscow Patriarchate or face possible dissolution.

The law, upheld by Estonia’s Supreme Court on June 8, requires the Church to appoint a new metropolitan by December 28. Metr. Evgeny was expelled from Estonia in 2024, although authorities acknowledged that he posed no threat, and remains Metropolitan of Tallinn.

President Alar Karis twice refused to promulgate the legislation before it was passed for a third time on September 17, 2025. He subsequently petitioned the Supreme Court, arguing that the law was unconstitutional. The court upheld the measure while interpreting it as prohibiting administrative rather than religious ties. Six of the 17 judges, including the chief justice, dissented, citing a lack of legal certainty.

Church attorney Artur Knjazev argued that the government was effectively forcing Orthodox believers to abandon their religious identity. Attorney Steven-Hristo Evestus added that the Interior Ministry continued to demand the severance of both administrative and religious ties, despite the court’s interpretation.

Knjazev also highlighted the convent’s approximately 90 nuns, whose average age exceeds 60. They have prayed there for more than 135 years, including for Estonia, he said.

The amendments took effect June 27, 2026, giving religious associations six months to comply. The Church had removed “Moscow Patriarchate” from its name in March 2025, but the ministry considered the change insufficient because its statutes still required Patriarch Kirill’s signature on major decisions.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Estonia’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of a law that threatened the Orthodox Church.