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The Finnish-Russian Civic Forum strives to promote cooperation between the peoples of Finland and Russia by supporting civic initiatives for democracy, human rights, and freedom of speech.
Still No Justice for Victims of Beslan
Finland: Call to Arrest Putin
A group of Finnish civic activists has today filed a report to the police, calling for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and for an investigation into his actions during the war in Chechnya.
Liar’s Club
The Finnish tabloid, Iltalehti, has gone after an acting minister in a way that is reminiscent of the Danish political TV series, Borgen. The newspaper’s Friday edition ran a story on the scandal involving a repair job at the home of the Finnish Minister for International Development, Heidi Hautala. The story was very confusing and a hotchpotch of wild claims and insinuations. Persons linked to the scandal were labelled everything from “right-hand man” of Russian oligarchs to supporters of Chechen separatists. On Tuesday, the tabloid falsely claimed that Ms Hautala had “arranged payments” for the renovation of her male partner’s villa. The (toilet) paper’s stories read almost exactly like the online hallucinations of the pro-Putin agent provocateur, Johan Bäckman, who has made it his life’s work to smear Heidi Hautala.
Screams From Omsk Penal Colony
WaYNaKH Online has received a disquieting email from the relatives of Chechen and Ingush prisoners held in a penal colony in the village of Beregovoy in Russia’s Omsk oblast. In November 2010, the relatives appealed for help because of reports of torture and wide-spread ill-treatment at the penal colony. Apparently, there has been no change in the dismal prison conditions since the end of 2010, however.
Adam Osmayev: Framed, Tortured, Extradited
A court in Ukraine has decided to extradite a Chechen man accused of plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. Adam Osmayev, who was arrested in March 2012, would be handed over to the Russian authorities within a month. Meanwhile, Mr Osmayev has released the following open letter:
Finland Deported Tortured Chechen to Russia
Finnish police deported a Chechen asylum seeker to Russia on Thursday. He is yet another case where immigration authorities in EU countries have refused protection to people who have full reason to fear for their safety in their country of origin. The man was deported to the very country whose authorities tortured him and threatened his family members.
Women, Tradition, and Power in North Caucasus
Across North Caucasus, society is divided over the role of women. Why are the freedoms of women in Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan so constrained? Is Islam to blame? Is it a consequence of war in the region or of poverty? These questions form the basis of a new series on openDemocracy Russia, in which women tell their stories:
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Chechen Singer Seeks Asylum in Finland
Video: Pertti Nykänen.
The famous Chechen singer and song-maker, Liza Umarova, has applied for asylum in Finland. Recently, she appeared at a concert organised by the Finnish Peace Committee, where she sang anti-war songs. “Three days ago, when I arrived in Finland, for the first time in a long time, I felt free in my heart. I was happy. I never had such a feeling in my life,” Ms Umarova told her audience. “My songs are dedicated to freedom and to the pain that my people is suffering.”
“Past Cannot Be Forgotten”
The Arkadia International Bookshop in Helsinki will host a talk with journalist and human rights defender Oksana Chelysheva and Chechen singer Liza Umarova on the situation in Chechnya on Saturday 5 May 2012 at 4 pm. The discussion will be in English and Russian.
Angels of Grozny Can Stay
The Gatayevs in Helsinki. (Photo: Vladimir Telegin.)
The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) has granted asylum to the Chechen couple, Malik Gatayev and Khadizhat Gatayeva, and three of their children. The couple fled from persecution in Chechnya and Lithuania, and applied for asylum in Finland in September 2009. The Gatayevs ran orphanages for Chechen children in the Chechen capital, Grozny, and in Lithuania’s second-largest city, Kaunas.
Migri initially rejected the Gatayevs’ asylum application in March 2010, and the couple was detained pending deportation. However, the Helsinki Administrative Court ruled in May 2010 that Lithuania was not a safe country of return. In March 2012, Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court upheld the lower court ruling, obliging Migri to reconsider the case. Finally, on 19 April 2012, Migri granted the family asylum.
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