Original sentence: , the people who held Estonian citizenship in June 1940 (when the Estonia's independence de facto lapsed as the country was occupied by the Soviet Union) and their descendants.In 1989 independence activists formed the Committees of Citizens of Estonia () and started registering people considered to be Estonian citizens by birth according to the jus sanguinis principle, i.It also challenged the power and authority of the other quasi-parliament in the country, called the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR, which had been set up according to Soviet laws.Noncitizens had to pass exams in the Estonian language, the Estonian history, and the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia in order to naturalise.People who did not satisfy these criteria could register applications for citizenship.The Congress claimed to represent the highest authority on questions of Estonian statehood and citizenship, deriving this authority from the consent and initiative of the citizens of Estonia.The Congress of Estonia was an alternative "grassroots" parliament set up in Estonia during the process of regaining of independence from the Soviet Union.The aim of the Congress was to restore Estonian independence based on a principle of legal continuity with the pre-1940 republic of Estonia as established in 1918
Edited sentence: , the people who held Estonian citizenship in June 1940 (when Estonian independence de facto lapsed) and their descendants.In 1989 independence activists formed the Committees of Citizens of Estonia () and started registering people  considered to be Estonian citizens by birth according to the jus sanguinis principle, i.In practice this would mean denying citizenship to Estonia's Soviet migrant population, representing nearly 40% of the total population.Other noncitizens had to pass exams in the Estonian language, the Estonian history, and the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia in order to naturalise.People that did not satisfy these criteria could register applications for citizenship.The Congress claimed to represent the highest authority on questions of Estonian statehood and citizenship, deriving this authority from the consent and initiative of the "citizens of Estonia".The Congress of Estonia was a rival parliament set up in the Estonian SSR during the process of Estonia's separation from the Soviet Union, to challenge the power and authority of the Supreme Soviet of the ESSR.The aim of the congress was to "restore Estonian independence" based on a principle of legal continuity with the pre-1940 republic of Estonia as established in 1918.The restrictive citizenship laws led to the disenfranchisement the third of Estonian population who had settled to Estonia during Soviet rule 1945-1991