The supervisory council of Estonia’s public broadcaster, Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR), has dismissed its long-term chairman, Rein Veidemann, ERR reports. Earlier, Veidemann had criticised an interview of a same-sex couple with two children that was aired on ETV, saying that the programme ran counter to the values of the majority of Estonians. ERR’s supervisory council elected Sulev Valner as the new chair. Meanwhile, the populist Conservative People’s Party of Estonia (EKRE) has submitted a bill in parliament to liquidate ERR in response to the interview. Erik Roose, CEO of ERR, warned that the bill threatened free speech and democracy. Culture Minister Heidy Purga stated that Veidemann’s comments breached ERR’s editorial independence, which she noted was against the law, ERR reported.
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