First Reading of the Draft Act on the Accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (681 SE)
Session: The 15th Riigikogu, 6th Session, Plenary Sitting
Date: 2025-10-09 00:19
Participating Politicians:
Total Speeches: 19
Membership: 15
Agenda Duration: 10m
AI Summaries: 19/19 Speeches (100.0%)
Analysis: Structured Analysis
Politicians Speaking Time
Politicians
Analysis
Summary
The Riigikogu debated the first reading of Bill 681 SE, initiated by the Government of the Republic, concerning the Act on Accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta introduced the bill, noting that Estonian domestic law already complies with the convention's requirements, and accession would not entail new obligations, the need to amend the Penal Code, or additional funding. The primary goal of accession is to improve Estonia's international reputation and standing.
During the debate, questions arose regarding the convention's terminology and its relevance within the Estonian cultural context. Rain Epler criticized the term "enforced disappearance" as being bureaucratic jargon. The Minister explained that this is a specific type of crime that differs from kidnapping because the victim is forced to leave. Peeter Ernits asked whether re-introducing the convention to the agenda was related to immigration from countries (e.g., Iraq, Sri Lanka) where such crimes are widespread, to which the Minister replied in the negative. Peeter Ernits, Deputy Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, presented the committee's position, ironically calling the bill the "werewolf bill"—a bill addressing phenomena that do not occur in the Estonian cultural context. The committee decided by consensus to propose concluding the first reading.
Decisions Made 2
The first reading of Draft Law 681 SE was concluded.
The deadline for amendments was set for October 22nd at 5:15 PM.
Most Active Speaker
Peeter Ernits was active both in posing questions and in presenting the position of the leading committee (the Legal Affairs Committee), using colorful language (the "werewolf bill"). His position was listed as other (Member of the Riigikogu/Deputy Chairman of the Committee).
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi introduced the first reading of the bill, initiated by the Government of the Republic, concerning accession to the international convention protecting persons from enforced disappearance, as the ninth item on the agenda, and invited Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta to the rostrum.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi announced the ninth item on the agenda, which was the first reading of Bill 681, initiated by the Government of the Republic, concerning accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and subsequently gave the floor to the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta is submitting a proposal to the Riigikogu (Parliament) for the approval of Estonia's accession to the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which was previously left pending due to technical reasons. She explained that although Estonian domestic law already meets the convention's requirements and therefore requires no legislative amendments or additional funding, accession is necessary to improve Estonia's international credibility and reputation.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta is submitting to the Riigikogu for approval a draft resolution on acceding to the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. She explained that although Estonian legislation is already in line with the Convention and requires no domestic amendments or additional costs, accession is a crucial step in strengthening Estonia's international reputation and credibility.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi concluded his brief address, thanked the audience, and opened the Q&A session, giving the floor first to Rain Epler.
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler approached the minister with a question regarding the linguistic suitability of the term "forced disappearance," arguing that the phrasing was an overly bureaucratic construction and proposing a simpler alternative, such as "kidnapping."
Rain Epler
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Rain Epler criticized the term "enforced disappearance" as a bureaucratic construct and asked the minister to evaluate whether a simpler Estonian equivalent, such as "kidnapping," would be appropriate instead.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta explains that kidnapping and forced disappearance are clearly distinguishable types of crime, emphasizing that the latter is not a physical abduction but rather involves pressure being exerted on the victim to compel them to leave their environment themselves. She also notes that this specific type of crime is uncommon in the Estonian cultural context and is therefore difficult to comprehend.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta emphasizes that abduction and forced disappearance are two different types of crime, explaining that the latter, which is less common in the Estonian cultural context, means exerting pressure on a person to leave, not their physical kidnapping.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi Peeter Ernits was called to the podium, but the content of his presentation is not reflected in the given text.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits asks bluntly whether the revival of the convention, which was initiated 10–11 years ago, is directly linked to immigration from countries like Iraq, Sri Lanka, and Congo, where widespread intra-family coercion and cultural practices may lead to people being forced to flee their homes.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits questions the timing of the convention's revival, asking whether it is due to increased immigration from countries like Iraq, Sri Lanka, and Congo, where crimes resulting from family pressure are common, citing the story of Jüri and Liisa as an example.
Justiits- ja digiminister Liisa-Ly Pakosta
AI Summary
Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta briefly and categorically dismissed any connection or involvement with the issue, emphasizing that it was irrelevant to the matter at hand.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi concluded the ongoing round of questions, thanked the participants, and then invited Peeter Ernits, Deputy Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, to the podium to present the decisions of the lead committee and the substance of the discussion held therein.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Chairman Toomas Kivimägi concluded the previous round of questions, thanked the participants, and then gave the floor to the Deputy Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee, colleague Peeter Ernits, who will now proceed to introduce the decisions of the lead committee and the discussion that took place there.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits considers the draft bill under discussion concerning accession to the convention—which addresses enforced disappearance and other crimes—to be unusable within the Estonian cultural space and dismisses it as a theoretical "werewolf bill." He stresses that although the corresponding definition of the crime is vague and similar acts are already covered in the Penal Code (KarS), the commission nevertheless unanimously decided to put it on the agenda and conclude the first reading simply to demonstrate Estonia's place in the world.
Peeter Ernits
Profiling Fraktsiooni mittekuuluvad Riigikogu liikmedAI Summary
Peeter Ernits presented the draft resolution to the Riigikogu concerning the approval of the UN Convention against Enforced Disappearance. He repeatedly referred to the bill as a "werewolf bill" or something "non-existent in our cultural sphere," emphasizing that even though the topic is largely theoretical in Estonia, the committee decided to approve it by consensus to demonstrate Estonia's commitment to the global community and adherence to international standards.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi announced that, since no questions or requests for debate had been submitted, the first reading of Draft Bill 681 was concluded in accordance with the proposal of the lead committee, and he set the deadline for submitting amendments as 17:15 on October 22 of the current year.
Aseesimees Toomas Kivimägi
AI Summary
Deputy Speaker Toomas Kivimägi closed the debate, as no requests to speak had been submitted, and announced that, upon the proposal of the lead committee, the first reading of Draft Bill 681 was concluded, setting the deadline for submitting amendments at 5:15 p.m. on October 22 of the current year.