FINLAND: Total objector starts prison sentence

en

On 8 March, Finnish total objector Aleksi Uski started to serve 192 days in prison for refusing to serve military or substitute service. Aleksi Uski's refusal is based on his anarchist-pacifist world view. He considers the conscription system as foolish and therefore does not accept any substitute civilian service as part of it. Although Finland has a law on conscientious objection, this law requires from any conscientious objector to perform a substitute service which is more than twice as long as military service, and therefore has to be considered as punitive. In addition, the substitute service is poorly organised [1]. As of 2 March 2004, a total of 24 conscientious objectors served prison sentences in Finland. In the last few years, this number rose dramatically, due to the length of substitute service and poor service conditions.[2]

Most recently, the case of Finnish total objector Jussi Hermaja, who fled to Belgium in 2001 and applied for asylum there, drew some attention to the situation of conscientious objectors in Finland, although his asylum application was finally rejected by the Belgian High Court earlier in March 2004 [3]. Amnesty International, which is usually opposed to total objection and accepts the condition of a substitute service, views Finnish total objectors as prisoners of conscience, due to the punitive character of substitute service in Finland.

War Resisters' International decided to make the situation in Finland the main focus of the 2004 Prisoners for Peace Day campaign, which will culminate on 1 December 2004, international Prisoners for Peace Day [4].

War Resisters' International calls for letters of support to Aleksi Uski, and other imprisoned total objectors in Finland (address below).

War Resisters' International calls for protest letters to the Finnish authorities, and Finnish embassies abroad. A protest email can be sent to President Tarja Halonen at http://www.wri-irg.org/co/alerts/040324a.html . A list of Finnish embassies can be found at http://formin.finland.fi/doc/eng/missions/embcount.html .

War Resisters' International calls for the immediate release of Aleksi Uski and all other imprisoned conscientious objectors.

Addresses of imprisoned total objectors in Finland: Mikko Markovaara
(15.12.2003-2.7.2004)
Panu Pietilä
(8.9.2003-3.2004)
Aydin Sayar
(29.12.2003-16.7.2004)
Tatu Lauriala
(18.12.2003-4.7.2004)
Markus Kauppinen
(13.01.04-30.7.04)
Toni Simpanen
(2.1.2004-18.7.2004)
Helsingin työsiirtola
PL 36
01531 Vantaa
Finland

Kari-Pekka Ylikangas
(8.9.2003-25.3.2004)
Laukaan vankila
PL 55
41341 Laukaa
Finland

Aleksi Uski
(8.3.-10.9.2004)
Naarajärven vankila
PL 1
76851 Naarajärvi
Finland

Eero Laitinen
(5.1.2004-22.7.2004)
Kestilän avovankilaosasto
Turppasentie 2
92700 Kestilä
Finland

Notes
[1] see http://www.wri-irg.org/co/osce-rep.htm#Heading10 [2] October 1st 2003: 19, October 1st 2001: 22 [3] http://www.motherearth.org/hermaja/en/news10.php [4] http://www.wri-irg.org/co/pfphist.htm