Treimann-Legrant doubts Pakosta’s plan to overhaul criminal records register

Content creator Mallu Mariann Treimann-Legrant has questioned Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta’s plans to improve Estonia’s criminal records register, ERR reported. The proposed changes would add document photographs next to the names of people convicted of serious crimes.

Pakosta said direct links to the register often made it possible to identify victims, leading to further victimisation. She said most of the cases involved family members or close acquaintances.

“Imagine the victim’s name suddenly becoming available for everyone to view and browse,” Pakosta said. She added that failing to consider victims’ basic needs had led some to contact victim support services with suicidal thoughts.

Pakosta introduced the proposal in April. A bill covering the changes is expected to enter the coordination process soon and reach parliament in the autumn. It would also make employers’ checks of workers’ backgrounds automatic.

The issue arose after the Ihaste equestrian sports centre failed to carry out a legally required criminal records check on a man doing volunteer work there. Under the Child Protection Act, employers must make such an inquiry when a person has contact with children, Pakosta said. The planned changes would make the process easier for employers, she added, and would also review the fee for making an inquiry.

Treimann-Legrant, whose initiative led to the creation of the Ettevaatust.ee website, said she did not trust the minister’s plan.

“I know exactly how long the state takes to do things and how many obstacles they get stuck behind. My husband created Ettevaatust.ee in one day. We will see how many years the state takes, and I think it actually will not do it,” Treimann-Legrant said.

She said citizens and other enthusiasts would probably act before the state. “Making all of this so complicated is protecting paedophiles,” she said.

Treimann-Legrant also criticised what she called a lack of transparency and clarity over the publication of personal data. She questioned whom the state was protecting, saying other registers that disclose people’s personal data were freely accessible.

Ettevaatust.ee collected profiles of people convicted of sexual and intimate-partner violence, allowing users to view information about offenders through direct links to the criminal records register.

Under an order from Estonia’s data protection authority, hosting provider Zone suspended access on Tuesday to the website created by Treimann-Legrant and her husband, Tomas Märten Legrant.