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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May 11 / 1:55am

Tribunal 12 Helsinki

by Kerkko Paananen

Syytämme Eurooppaa pakolaisiin, siirtolaisiin ja turvapaikanhakijoihin kohdistuvista jatkuvista ihmisoikeusloukkauksista ja järjestelmällisestä kaltoinkohtelusta!

Tribunal 12 Helsinki on tapahtuma, jossa vaaditaan EU:ta ottamaan moraalinen, laillinen ja polittiinen vastuu alueelleen paenneista ihmisistä. Tapahtumaa tukee laaja joukko ihmisoikeuksia ja sananvapautta puolustavia järjestöjä ja eri alojen taiteilijoita. Sen taustalla on Tukholmassa lauantaina 12.5.2012 järjestettävä näytösluontoinen oikeusistunto Tribunal 12, joka ottaa kantaa Euroopan ihmisoikeusrikkomuksiin pakolaisia, turvapaikanhakijoita ja siirtolaisia kohtaan.

Tribunal 12 Helsinki järjestetään Iso Roobertinkatu 4:ssä sijaitsevassa katutason liiketilassa lauantaina 12.5.2012 kello 10:30-24:00. Yleisöllä on mahdollisuus seurata Tukholman tapahtumia suorana lähetyksenä. Lähetysten välille on rakennettu runsas ohjelma, joka koostuu kansalaisjärjestöjen ja puheenvuoroista ja taiteilijoiden esityksistä. Päivän aikana käsitelllään muun muassa rajakontrollia, turvapaikkaprosessia, paperittomuutta, sekä säilöönottoa ja käännytyksiä.

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Filed under  //  Asylum   Finland   Helsinki   Human Rights   Migrants   Refugees   Tribunal 12  
 
May 2 / 12:01pm

Angels of Grozny Can Stay

by Kerkko Paananen

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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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Filed under  //  Asylum   Chechnya   Finland   Human Rights   Lithuania   Refugees  
 
Mar 29 / 2:18am

Criminalise Refugee Espionage

by Kerkko Paananen

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Appeal of civil society organisations to Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen for preventing refugee espionage and guaranteeing the safety of its targets

In 2011, there were more cases in which foreign intelligence services tried to monitor their own citizens living permanently or residing temporarily in Finland. So-called refugee espionage involves gathering information that is useful to a foreign power about people residing in Finland, their personal circumstances and their political views. Refugee espionage creates a danger that the persons that are being targeted or people close to them will then be subjected to repression or pressure.

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Filed under  //  Activism   Espionage   Finland   Refugees   Security  
 
Mar 29 / 2:06am

Kriminalisera flyktingspionaget

by Kerkko Paananen

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Flera organisationer som arbetar med flyktingfrågor har vänt sig till regeringen för att förebygga flyktingspionaget och trygga säkerheten för de som utsätts för detta. Finlands Flyktinghjälp, Flyktingrådgivningen, Finlands PEN, Kiila och Finsk-ryska medborgarforumet (FINROSFORUM) föreslår att regeringen skall revidera lagstiftningen så att olika former av flyktingspionage blir straffbart.

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Filed under  //  Aktivism   Finland   Flyktingar   Spionage   Säkerhet  
 
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