FINROSFORUM

FINROSFORUM

FINROSFORUM  //  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.

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Jan 17 / 2:56pm

Russia Making a Mockery of Human Rights

by Kerkko Paananen

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The Russian Foreign Ministry has published a report on the human rights situation in various countries. The starting point of the report is one of double standards: The report only focuses on human rights in countries, with which Russia is looking for discord.

The report devotes several pages to Finland. It seems that Moscow regards Finland as a similar target for pressure and part of its “near abroad” as the Baltic States. The report directs accusations against Finland using the same sort of demagoguery as against the Baltic States.

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Filed under  //  Democracy   EU   Europe   FINROSFORUM   Finland   Human Rights   Russia   Tuomioja  
 
Dec 9 / 3:34pm

FINROSFORUM 2011 | Helsinki 10-11 December 2011

by Kerkko Paananen

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The Finnish-Russian Civic Forum (FINROSFORUM) will hold its fifth annual conference, FINROSFORUM 2011, in Helsinki on 10-11 December 2011. The themes of this year's conference will be public participation in large-scale infrastructure projects and corruption in Russia. The programme consists of four panel discussions: The campaign against ”Gazprom Tower” in St Petersburg; the campaign to defend Khimki Forest near Moscow; the campaign against the Olympic construction projects in Sochi; and Russia's system of corruption.

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Filed under  //  Conference   Democracy   FINROSFORUM   Finland   Helsinki   Human Rights   Russia  
 
Dec 9 / 2:51pm

FINROSFORUM 2011 | Speaker Profiles

by Kerkko Paananen

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The fifth annual conference of the Finnish-Russian Civic Forum (FINROSFORUM) begins on 10 December 2011 at the Sofia Cultural Centre in Helsinki's Vuosaari district. Guest speakers include a number of grassroots civic activists and experts from Russia, Finland, and elsewhere. Below, short introductions of the speakers.

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Filed under  //  Conference   Corruption   Democracy   Environment   FINROSFORUM   Finland   Human Rights   Russia  
 
Nov 24 / 9:49am

Other Russia Member Seeks Asylum in Finland

by Kerkko Paananen

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Sergey Porokhovoy, member of the Russian opposition party, Other Russia, has applied for political asylum in Finland. Mr Porokhovoy is one of 13 activists of Other Russia, who are charged in St Petersburg with political crimes under Russia's "anti-extremism" law. The authorities accuse the members of Other Russia of continuing the activities of the left-wing political party, National Bolshevik Party (NBP), which was banned in 2007 -- also under Russia's draconian anti-extremist legislation.

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Filed under  //  282   Asylum   Democracy   Extremism   Finland   Human Rights   Other Russia   Refugee   Russia  
 
Nov 17 / 3:11pm

FINROSFORUM Elects New Board, Chairman

by Kerkko Paananen

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The Finnish-Russian Civic Forum (FINROSFORUM) held its general meeting of members at the International Press Club (Pressiklubi) in Helsinki on 12 November 2011. The meeting elected a new board to represent the organisation for the next year.

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Filed under  //  Democracy   FINROSFORUM   Finland   Helsinki   Human Rights   Russia  
 
Nov 1 / 4:41pm

Russians Need To Respect Themselves

by Kerkko Paananen

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Teemu Matinpuro, executive director of the Finnish Peace Committee, and Kerkko Paananen, information secretary of the Finnish-Russian Civic Forum (FINROSFORUM), gave an interview to Lyudmila Mamina, editor-in-chief of Kasparov.Ru, about the Finnish edition of Novaya Gazeta, the attitude of Finnish society to Anna Politkovskaya, the war in Chechnya, and the current political situation in Russia. Below, an edited translation of the interview.

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Filed under  //  Amnesty   Chechnya   FINROSFORUM   Finland   Kadyrov   Medvedev   Novaya Gazeta   Politkovskaya   Putin   Rauhanpuolustajat   Russia  
 
Oct 31 / 12:59pm

Helsinki 2.0

by Kerkko Paananen

As the first step of an initiative to mobilise the European Union against Vladimir Putin's regime and in support of democratic reforms in Russia, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) in the European Parliament will sponsor an international conference on 9-10 November 2011 in Helsinki. The venue was chosen as a symbolic reminder of the "Helsinki process," which in the 1970s, in the midst of the Cold War, led to East-West rapprochement by giving birth to the CSCE-OSCE and, in the final analysis, to the implosion of the East European Communist bloc. Participants of the conference on 9-10 November 2011 will include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and several signatories of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975.

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Filed under  //  ALDE   Democracy   EU   Finland   Helsinki   Human Rights   Kasyanov   Russia   Verhofstadt  
 
May 25 / 3:46am

Visa-free travel to double border traffic

by Kerkko Paananen

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Removing the visa requirement for travel between the European Union and Russia would bring millions of new visitors from Russia to Finland, according to a report compiled the Finnish Customs, the Finnish Border Guard, and the Finnish Police. The report estimates that traffic on Finland’s eastern border would increase from the current 8 million to around 15 million border crossings per year, Helsingin Sanomat reports.

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Filed under  //  EU   Finland   Russia   Tourism   Travel   Visa  
 
May 25 / 2:00am

Home-buyers: Do not invest in Russia!

by Kerkko Paananen

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Home-buyers from Russia's northern capital, St Petersburg, have organised a demonstration in connection with the second EU-Russia Innovation Forum in the Finnish border city of Lappeenranta on 25 May 2011. The demonstrators are holding a meeting outside Lappeenranta city hall, urging foreign investors to avoid investments in Russia.

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Filed under  //  Corruption   Demonstration   Economy   Finland   Innovation   Investment   Lappeenranta   Rule of Law   Russia   St Petersburg  
 
May 9 / 4:05pm

День Победы

by Kerkko Paananen

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В понедельник 9 мая городской суд в финском городе Вантаа полностью оправдал финского предпринимателя и правозащитника, члена правления Финско-Российского Гражданского Форума Микаэля Стуршё и чеченского беженца Дени Берката, против которых было выдвинуто обвинение в организации нелегальной иммиграции. Судили их за то, что они спасали чеченских беженцев. Они помогли нескольким семьям перебраться в Финляндию.

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Filed under  //  Chechnya   FINROSFORUM   Finland   Refugees   Russia   Россия   Финляндия   Чечня