Prisoner complaints made up 27% of Tallinn and Tartu administrative court cases — ERR News
In Estonia, prisoner complaints accounted for 27% of all cases in the administrative courts of Tallinn and Tartu in 2025. A total of 908 complaints from prisoners were received by these courts, ERR News reports.
In the first nine months of 2026, prisoners filed more than 680 complaints. They challenge a range of issues, from detention conditions to access to medical care. According to the courts, around 1.5% of such complaints have currently been upheld.
Expected increase in workload
Kaapo Kruusvee, head of the Tallinn Administrative Court, said that the courts are preparing for an increase in the number of appeals in connection with the transfer of prisoners from Sweden to Estonia. In his assessment, if about 600 people are transferred to the country and they go to court as frequently as Estonian prisoners, this could add approximately 300 complaints annually.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
According to Kruusvee, the first complaints have already been filed by Estonian prisoners, who believe that prisoners transferred from Sweden have better conditions. Lawyer Katarina Talumäe did not rule out that some of these claims may be justified.
Complaints by Swedish prisoners
Swedish prisoners have also submitted complaints to Estonia's Chancellor of Justice. Their grievances include detention conditions and the language barrier. Talumäe noted that foreign prisoners also raised the issue of maintaining contact with relatives and loved ones in Sweden, as this may create additional disproportionate costs for them.
Merle Ulst, director of Tartu Prison, said that the administration is carefully examining the Chancellor of Justice's conclusions and plans to provide a response at the beginning of December. Kruusvee added that the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs had been asked to study the experience of other countries, as prisoners in neighboring states go to court considerably less often.
