On May 9, the Vantaa District Court in Finland gathered to give their final decision on allegations against Finnish human rights defender Mikael Storsjö and Turkish citizen Deni Berkat. The court decided that there is no crime!

The Finnish prosecutors Mikko Sipilä and Maren Salvesen had called for the imprisonment of Mikael Storsjö due to his role in the facilitation of dozens of Chechen asylum seekers’ illegal entry into Finland.

The Judges from Vantaa District Court Kimmo Vanne, Nämndemän Anneli Karlsson, Risto Puha and Ralf Asplund pointed out that there was no financial gain from Mikael Storsjö’s activities and that all of his motives are based on humanitarian reasons.

The district court believes that the most important issue of Mikael Storsjö’s help was for the people who are in need of international protection. Although Storsjö has received some positive publicity through his activities, he also became the subject of negative and in some cases inappropriate publicity which resulted in intimidation.

Finnish Criminal Law says “An act which, when taking into account the motives of the person committing it and the circumstances pertaining to the safety of the foreigner in his/her home country or country of permanent residence, and when assessed as a whole, is to be deemed committed under vindicating circumstances, does not constitute arrangement of illegal immigration,” therefore in the district court’s view point, there is no crime.

We, Waynakh Online, applaud the decision of the Finnish court.

*Text was written by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco