Lawyer says Tallinn must rename Smuuli street and bridge

Lawyer Olavi-Jüri Luik says Tallinn is legally required to rename Juhan Smuuli street and bridge because the writer took part in the 1949 March deportations and opposed the restoration of Estonian independence, ERR reported. Estonia’s Language Department has referred the matter to the minister for regional affairs and agriculture for a decision.

On November 1, MP and historian Jaak Valge asked the Language Department to assess whether the names of the street and bridge in Tallinn’s Lasnamäe district comply with the Place Names Act. Valge argued that Smuul acted against the restoration of Estonian independence and helped strengthen Soviet occupation rule. He attached a legal opinion by Luik, a sworn advocate at the law firm Widen, which says using Smuul’s name in official place names is unlawful.

Luik’s main argument is that Smuul took part in the March 1949 deportations. The opinion says he was part of an operational group that inventoried the property of a family being removed from Kõue municipality. It cites an archival document bearing Smuul’s signature and published eyewitness accounts.

Luik argues that Smuul’s presence was not incidental but amounted to deliberate participation in a repressive operation as a representative of party activists. He says the legal ban on commemorating people who acted against the Estonian Republic also applies to the inventory, because it was part of the operational group’s work.

The opinion also cites Smuul’s political publications from 1944 to 1953, describing them as sustained propaganda against Estonian independence rather than isolated statements supporting the regime. Luik says membership in Soviet organisations alone would not justify a ban; the person’s specific actions are decisive.

The opinion considers possible counterarguments, including the literary value of Smuul’s works, his later acknowledgement of mistakes made during the Stalin period and the possibility that he was forced to take part in the deportation. Luik says these do not change the legal assessment, arguing that participation in the deportation alone is sufficient to apply the law.

Luik says the restriction also applies to names assigned before the relevant amendments took effect. He argues that Tallinn should rename the street, bridge and associated public transport stops. He says the same requirement applies to Juhan Smuuli street in Kuressaare.

Ilmar Tomusk, director general of the Language Department’s language division, said the department oversees place names only on linguistic grounds and is not authorised to give legal assessments. He sent Valge’s request and the legal opinion to Minister Hendrik Johannes Terras to prepare an official position.

Under the Place Names Act, the minister must seek the opinion of the Place Names Board when a commemorative name is linked to someone who acted against Estonian independence or is clearly at odds with the country’s history and culture. If the board confirms a violation, the minister proposes that the local government change the name.

Valge has previously campaigned against a Smuul bas-relief in Tallinn’s Old Town. The previous city council’s EKRE faction also sought to rename places associated with Smuul. Valge was an EKRE member until August 2024.