FINLAND: New prison sentences for total objectors

Two total objectors were sentenced to prison on 21st of March by the Loviisa district court. 19-years old Erno Pennanen (FIN14783) from Hyvinkää was sentenced to 197 days imprisonment, and another young man, a student from Kerava who wishes to remain anonymous (FIN14784) got an unconditional sentence of 181 days. Pennanen did not do any service before his refusal, whereas the student from Kerava had done 32 days of substitute service. Both of objectors referred to the punitive length of substitute service and to the discriminating nature of the Finnish conscription system as reasons for their objection.

"I don´t believe that you can create safety with weapons", Pennanen wrote in his announcement of refusal. "People have common interests. The state is the institution, which leads human beings against other humans and the army is the institution, with which the state threatens other states." Pennanen pointed out that every penny spend on the military is not available any more for other important purposes - the struggle against poverty and for equality between people. Pennanen also wrote: "The idea that it is man´s job to defend his country and it is woman´s job (as supposedly weaker) to stay at home and give birth to more children for the state is helplessly antiquated and sexist."

Famous Finnish hiphop artist Henrik Rosenberg (FIN14785) who was sentenced to prison for 196 days last June, started to serve his prison sentence on 20th of March.

On the 1st of March there were 25 imprisoned total objectors in Finnish prisons. Six of them have permitted us to publish their prison address. War Resisters' International calls for letters of support to these imprisoned conscientious objectors:

Johannes Aalto
(25.1.-12.8.2006)
Aleksei Riikonen
(12.9.2005-29.3.2006)
Jouni Ruuth
(21.11.2005-7.6.2006)
Helsingin työsiirtola
PL 36
01531 Vantaa

Karl Finnberg
(3.11.2005-18.5.2006)
Keravan vankila
PL 133
04201 Kerava

Isto Pyykkönen
(27.11.2005-14.6.2006)
Satakunnan vankila
PL 59
32701 Huittinen

Tero Isokääntä
(18.1.-4.8.2006)
Naarajärven vankila
PL 1
76851 Naarajärvi

War Resisters' International calls for letters of protest to Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, or Finnish embassies abroad. A protest email can be sent at http://wri-irg.org/co/alerts/20060325a.html. A list of Finnish embassies can be found at http://formin.finland.fi/doc/eng/missions/embcount.html.

Andreas Speck
War Resisters' International
Archives of co-alert can be found at http://wri-irg.org/news/alerts