The trial of Aivo Peterson, the leader of the Koos/Meeting party accused of state treason, has begun in Estonia

On November 7, 2023, the trial of Aivo Peterson, the leader of the Koos/Unite movement, began in Harju County Court, Baltija portal reported.

As a reminder, on September 7, 2023, the State Prosecutor's Office charged Estonian citizens Aivo Peterson and Dimitri Rootsi with high treason, and Russian citizen Andrei Andronov with non-violent actions by an alien against the Republic of Estonia.

According to the indictment, Aivo Peterson and Dimitri Rootsi, acting on instructions received from the Russian Federation, knowingly and in an organized manner assisted Russia and persons acting on behalf of the Russian authorities in non-violent acts directed against the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Estonia between October 2022 and 10 March 2023.

In addition, Aivo Peterson is accused of assisting another defendant, Andrei Andronov, in carrying out non-violent activities against the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Estonia.

Aivo Peterson, Dimitri Rootsi and Andrei Andronov were charged after their detention with creating relations directed against the Republic of Estonia. All the accused are being held in custody.

A conviction for treason is punishable by imprisonment from six to twenty years or life imprisonment. A conviction for non-violent acts against the Republic of Estonia by an alien is punishable by imprisonment from two to fifteen years.

Peterson's lawyer Mati Senkel: "Peterson talks about not repeating Ukrainian events in Estonia, and it is interpreted that he is threatening Estonia and working for Russia. Kaja Kallas has been saying all last year that Estonia is at war, and when Peterson says that Estonia can expect that, it is called an attack on independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. So when Kaya Kallas says Estonia is at war, it is politically correct and perfectly legal. To me it is incomprehensible."

Aivo Peterson, the leader of the Koos movement, came second in the Estonian Parliamentary elections held in early March in North-East Estonia with 3960 votes, slightly behind Mikhail Stalnuhin.

Aivo Peterson, the first of all Estonian politicians and journalists traveled to Donbass and visited Donetsk at the beginning of March 2023. After the trip, Aivo Peterson was labeled a threat to national security by the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Peterson was also put on the "Peacemaker" list.