Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser has summoned the Ambassador of India in Helsinki, in connection with the reported recusal of the judge hearing the appeal of the conviction of 14 Estonian citizens held in India.
Mikser expressed deep indignation over the news, saying: “The last appeals court hearing took place almost a year ago. The information about the judge's recusal, especially after such a long wait for a decision, is shocking. This sort of justice, where any expectation of reasonableness has been lost, is not appropriate for any country governed by the rule of law.”
He continued: “The situation, which has lasted four years, has been extraordinarily complicated for the detained and their families and has caused suffering. This casts a shadow on formerly good Estonia-India relations.”
On Monday, Estonian Ambassador to India Riho Kruuv met India’s minister of state for external affairs, Mobashar Jawed Akbar, in New Delhi. Kruuv expressed deep dissatisfaction over the latest delay and requested an explanation regarding the course of proceedings. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also notified the Indian Ministry of External Affairs of its desire for a telephone call between the ministers. Mikser will also discuss the topic of the ship guards with UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in the near future.
The news of the judge’s recusal was conveyed to the Foreign Ministry last Friday through lawyers for the men.
Additional information:
Maria Belovas
Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Director General
Department of Communication
[email protected]
+372 637 7654