The president of Estonia has decided not to approve a law, passed by the national parliament June 13, that would have denied legal registration to religious organizations with foreign leadership.  Among the groups that risked losing legal status were Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Russian Orthodox Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and other Protestant churches.

President Lennart Meri refused to proclaim the law because it contained “disproportionate restrictions to the exercise of freedom of religion,” according to a statement released June 29 by the president’s press office. The press release cited the Estonian Union of Seventh-day Adventists as an example of a group that would be unfairly impacted by the law. 

The law was aimed at religious organizations, rather than single congregations.  It would have denied registration to those groups whose administrative or economic management takes place abroad, or whose decisions need affirmation by leaders or administration abroad.

Tuno Jugar, president of the Adventist Church in Estonia, had written to President Meri asking him not to approve the law in its current form. He pointed out that passages in the legislation were in conflict with Estonia’s Constitution and with international conventions of religious liberty. 

Leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church were also vocal about their concerns, telling Keston News Service that the law would mean “the complete de-legitimization of our church structure in that country.”

The law would not have affected the status of the Roman Catholic Church, which operates under a special agreement with the Estonian government brokered by the Vatican.