Interior Ministry report: Increased measures taken to prevent disclosure of state secrets
As of 2015, Estonian people with access to state secrets have to declare their trips to countries where they might be induced to disclose state secrets, a report released by the Ministry of the Interior on Wednesday stated.
Between 2008 and 2015 four people were convicted of treason, including two officials of the Estonian Internal Security Service, the ministry’s 2008-2015 Security Policy report said. In 2014, Uno Puusepp of the ISS was convicted after having admitted to gathering intelligence for Russian special services.
The report also pointed out that the most efficient way for protecting state secrets was to focus on prevention. In a bid to improve preventive measures, thorough security checks of people applying for access to state secrets are being carried out. Also, follow-up checks on those granted access was as important, the report stated.
In Estonia, disclosing confidential state affairs to another state is punishable by a 6-20-year prison sentence.
Last year, Russian special services officials kidnapped ISS official Eston Kohver. Kohver was accused of espionage and sentenced to 15 years in prison in Russia. He was exchanged after a year for Aleksei Dressen, who had been convicted in Estonia for having gathered intelligence for Russian services.
Editor: Editor: Abdulrahman Shamlan
