Estonian court finds man guilty of justifying an international crime

The Harju County Court has found Konstantin Gorlov guilty of justifying an international crime on the social media platform TikTok and sentenced him to a fine of €800.
Gorlov was accused of publicly displaying a symbol associated with an act of aggression and genocide during a livestream on the social media platform TikTok on August 18 of last year, the Harju County Court stated. The livestream was directed at a public audience.
According to the charges, Gorlov engaged in a conversation with another person regarding the Russian Federation's annexation of Ukrainian territories, discussing the matter in a manner that justified these actions. During the conversation, the background of Gorlov's video featured a flag of the Russian football club FC Spartak Moscow, which prominently displayed an element of the Russian Federation's coat of arms — the double-headed golden eagle. The club's emblem was also visible within the eagle's design. The court noted that the double-headed golden eagle was immediately noticeable and unmistakably recognizable.
For this act, the court imposed a fine of €800 on Konstantin Gorlov. He will also be responsible for covering his own legal defense costs.
However, the court dismissed proceedings related to two other instances due to a lack of elements constituting an offense. Specifically, it found that two images and a video with background music, as referenced in the charges, did not meet the criteria for a misdemeanor, as they did not provide sufficient grounds to conclude that they justified or supported an act of aggression or genocide.
Additionally, the court clarified that publishing materials from the misdemeanor case without court authorization is prohibited. As a result, Konstantin Gorlov must immediately delete a post that included a witness's testimony.
The ruling has not yet entered into force. The parties have the right to appeal the decision to the Tallinn Circuit Court.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski