Animals’ Mental Suffering Paradigm in Estonian Judicial and Media Environment

Abstract

In the European context, animal rights legislation is relying on human rights language, since it aims to protect the animals from mental suffring. The fact that a legal norm is not labelled as a human rights norm does not alter its content. This article also shows that in the Estonian judicial system the concept of animals deserving protection of their fundamental rights is accepted by default. The reasoning of court judgments indicates that the main reason for criminal sanction is the violation of animals fundamental right not to be killed or tortured. The article supports the thesis that it is clear that there is an urgent need to recognize the animal rights in legislation directly and the need of such application of these laws by courts; altogether with placing such conviction in public awareness.