The Ministry of the Interior wants to criminalize the monitoring and dissemination of terrorist propaganda. This would help prevent crimes. Ministry advisor Jüri Vlassov discussed this in an interview.
Vlassov says that currently, the Security Police cannot do anything with radicalized individuals before they commit a crime. A new legal amendment would give them the opportunity to intervene earlier.
A person must be radicalized and dangerous for them to be addressed. They must do or say something that demonstrates their dangerousness. There are no plans to create thought police.
Currently, Estonia has laws against Russia-oriented radicalization. These apply to war propaganda and war symbolism. However, there are no tools against other forms of radicalization.
For example, if someone threatens to shoot people, they cannot be punished if they have not yet done so. The new law would allow responding to such individuals earlier.
The legal amendment will not affect journalists or researchers studying terrorism. They have the right to monitor propaganda for educational or scientific purposes.
No terrorist acts have occurred in Estonia yet. The new law would help prevent this. As a small country, such crimes could severely impact society.
The Security Police already deals with radicalized individuals. The new law would give them more opportunities to address them before the commission of a crime.