"Watchdog" writer Alfter said she feared that journalists would lose some of their rights to freedom of the press.
TALLINN - Estonian journalists may face hefty fines or jail time of up to one year for revealing their sources in a set of more than 50 exceptions to the law on press freedom that is being promoted by the Justice Ministry.
"Watchdog", an euobserver blog written by Brigitte Alfter, reported this week that Estonian Justice Minister Rein Lang has signed off on a bit of proposed legislation that would outline a number of situations in which a journalist must reveal their sources or face a fine of up to 500 minimum wages or jail time of up to one year.
"If Lang’s draft legislation had been adopted last year, the silence of the Estonian journalists could have entailed their prosecution and conviction. At the moment, The Code of Ethics of the Estonian Press obliges a journalist to protect confidential information sources," the article said.
Alfter reported that the parliament will likely begin negotiations on the law in the near future.
She cited a number of cases in recent times when this has been an issue, including a food safety case involving Eesti Päevaleht reporter Sergo Selder.
She claimed it would stifle freedom of the press in the country as journalists would prefer to "write about topics which do not entail the looming breach of source protection for the journalist."
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