Former Supreme Court Justice Kergandberg to Minister Pakosta: Who Invents These Anti-People Phantom Risks?

Former Supreme Court Justice Eerik Kergandberg has issued a public letter to Justice and Digital Affairs Minister Liisa Pakosta (Estonia 200) in response to remarks Pakosta made on 29 June regarding prison outsourcing. Kergandberg responds to Pakosta's statement that she welcomes protests, noting that demonstrators will continue their action.

Former Supreme Court Justice Eerik Kergandberg has issued a public letter to Justice and Digital Affairs Minister Liisa Pakosta, responding to her position on prison outsourcing published in Delfi on 29 June.

"Honourable Minister, I was delighted to read in Delfi on 29 June that you actually quite like protests," Kergandberg writes. "It follows that you should also eagerly await the next actions against prison outsourcing. Despite limited resources, we shall continue to oblige you as much as possible."

Attack on "Phantom Risks"

In his letter, Kergandberg questions the minister's reasoning, which references the public's supposed inability to understand complex matters. The former Supreme Court justice pointedly asks who actually invents these so-called anti-people phantom risks and whose interests are served by such rhetoric.

The public letter reflects broader social opposition to prison outsourcing, a scheme whereby Estonia plans to lease prison places from abroad. According to critics, this raises a matter of principle regarding the state's sovereignty and judicial oversight of the exercise of penal authority.

Protests to Continue

Kergandberg makes clear in his letter that protest actions will not end and that participants are prepared to maintain pressure despite alleged limited resources. His reference to the minister's liking of protests is plainly ironic, intended to show that public pressure will not disappear even if those in power put on a brave face.

Liisa Pakosta is a minister from the ranks of Estonia 200, with responsibility for both justice and digital affairs. The prison outsourcing issue has stirred considerable controversy in the public sphere and among legal scholars in recent months.