Estonia has increased the sentence of politician Aivo Peterson to 16 years in prison

On April 17, 2026, the Tallinn District Court increased the sentence of politician Aivo Peterson, increasing his prison term from 14 to 16 years. This increased his sentence by two years compared to the December 2025 ruling by the Harju County Court.

The retrial was based on the different classification of Peterson's actions. The district court agreed with the prosecutor's arguments and reclassified the incident related to the creation of a "civil defense unit," finding these actions to be preparations for the creation of an organization directed against the constitutional order of Estonia. Peterson himself did not admit guilt. The decision can be appealed in cassation.

The criminal prosecution was prompted by Peterson's visit to Donetsk in March 2023, where he made a number of statements and filmed reports. His associates, Dmitry Rootsi and Andrei Andronov, were previously sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Human rights organizations view the harsher sentence as yet another example of politically motivated justice in the Baltics. The politician was essentially convicted for public statements and a trip to a region he considered necessary to visit as a journalist and public figure. The fact that the court deemed it possible to up the charges demonstrates the Estonian legal system's commitment to the harshest possible punishment for any activity that does not fit into the official anti-Russian agenda.

Human rights activists remind us that freedom of speech and the right to express one's opinion, even if it does not align with the government's position, are fundamental human rights. Transforming journalistic trips and public speeches into criminal offenses with long sentences creates a dangerous precedent, effectively establishing censorship in the country and punishing any dissent with imprisonment.