TALLINN — Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves is attempting to assuage the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, which has been protesting a proposed new source protection bill.

After the association sent the president a letter asking Ilves, a former journalist, to stand up against the law, Ilves responded Wednesday, writing the group that some of the bill’s more onerous passages, allowing the arrest of [private_supervisor]journalists and forced disclosure of their sources in libel cases, had already been eliminated during parliamentary debate.

“I find that the discussion between the parties in this matter have already resulted in a more precise wording of the bill,” wrote Ilves. “The sections of the bill you refer to never even made it to the parliament for consideration.”

Ilves pointed out that that under the Estonian Constitution he does not have a power to intervene in the legislative process but he can veto the the legislation if he feels it violates people’s fundamental rights and freedoms and contravenes the Constitution. He did not say whether he would veto the bill in its current form or not.

“As a former journalist and chief editor at Radio Free Europe at a time when press freedom was indeed curtailed or nonexistent in my country I consider freedom of the speech and of the press, to be the sine qua non of democratic society,” Ilves wrote.

Estonian biggest newspapers printed blank front pages in protest against the bill at the end of March, asserting that it threatens freedom of speech and the ability of the press to check powerful business and political interests in the young democracy.

The government submitted the draft act to the Riigikogu on March 16 but some changes were made into the bill in March 1 after the associations’ letter reached the president. The bill passed its first reading at the parliament on March 7. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]journalists and forced disclosure of their sources in libel cases, had already been eliminated during parliamentary debate.

“I find that the discussion between the parties in this matter have already resulted in a more precise wording of the bill,” wrote Ilves. “The sections of the bill you refer to never even made it to the parliament for consideration.”

Ilves pointed out that that under the Estonian Constitution he does not have a power to intervene in the legislative process but he can veto the the legislation if he feels it violates people’s fundamental rights and freedoms and contravenes the Constitution. He did not say whether he would veto the bill in its current form or not.

“As a former journalist and chief editor at Radio Free Europe at a time when press freedom was indeed curtailed or nonexistent in my country I consider freedom of the speech and of the press, to be the sine qua non of democratic society,” Ilves wrote.

Estonian biggest newspapers printed blank front pages in protest against the bill at the end of March, asserting that it threatens freedom of speech and the ability of the press to check powerful business and political interests in the young democracy.

The government submitted the draft act to the Riigikogu on March 16 but some changes were made into the bill in March 1 after the associations’ letter reached the president. The bill passed its first reading at the parliament on March 7. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]journalists and forced disclosure of their sources in libel cases, had already been eliminated during parliamentary debate.

“I find that the discussion between the parties in this matter have already resulted in a more precise wording of the bill,” wrote Ilves. “The sections of the bill you refer to never even made it to the parliament for consideration.”

Ilves pointed out that that under the Estonian Constitution he does not have a power to intervene in the legislative process but he can veto the the legislation if he feels it violates people’s fundamental rights and freedoms and contravenes the Constitution. He did not say whether he would veto the bill in its current form or not.

“As a former journalist and chief editor at Radio Free Europe at a time when press freedom was indeed curtailed or nonexistent in my country I consider freedom of the speech and of the press, to be the sine qua non of democratic society,” Ilves wrote.

Estonian biggest newspapers printed blank front pages in protest against the bill at the end of March, asserting that it threatens freedom of speech and the ability of the press to check powerful business and political interests in the young democracy.

The government submitted the draft act to the Riigikogu on March 16 but some changes were made into the bill in March 1 after the associations’ letter reached the president. The bill passed its first reading at the parliament on March 7. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]journalists and forced disclosure of their sources in libel cases, had already been eliminated during parliamentary debate.

“I find that the discussion between the parties in this matter have already resulted in a more precise wording of the bill,” wrote Ilves. “The sections of the bill you refer to never even made it to the parliament for consideration.”

Ilves pointed out that that under the Estonian Constitution he does not have a power to intervene in the legislative process but he can veto the the legislation if he feels it violates people’s fundamental rights and freedoms and contravenes the Constitution. He did not say whether he would veto the bill in its current form or not.

“As a former journalist and chief editor at Radio Free Europe at a time when press freedom was indeed curtailed or nonexistent in my country I consider freedom of the speech and of the press, to be the sine qua non of democratic society,” Ilves wrote.

Estonian biggest newspapers printed blank front pages in protest against the bill at the end of March, asserting that it threatens freedom of speech and the ability of the press to check powerful business and political interests in the young democracy.

The government submitted the draft act to the Riigikogu on March 16 but some changes were made into the bill in March 1 after the associations’ letter reached the president. The bill passed its first reading at the parliament on March 7. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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