Capital punishment in Finland
(
Finnish
:
kuolemanrangaistus
,
Swedish
:
dodsstraff
) has been abolished
de jure
.
[1]
[2]
During the Grand Duchy
[
edit
]
As of 1823 in the
Grand Duchy of Finland
, death sentences were commuted to transportation to
Siberia
or other lesser sentences. The last person to be executed in peacetime was farmhand
Tahvo Putkonen
, on 8 July 1825, for murder. The capital punishment was
de facto
abolished during the rest of the Czarist regime 1825?1917 in Finland and commuted into exile in
Siberia
.
From the Civil War to World War II
[
edit
]
During and right after the
Finnish Civil War
of 1918, there were many executions, most done without due process. Approximately 1,400?1,650
Whites
and 7,000?10,000
Reds
were executed by the opposing side. The executions were invariably carried out by
firing squad
. The
Shoot on the Spot Declaration
allowed White commanders to summarily execute prisoners, something which was of questionable legality, but the issue became moot after general amnesties.
During the
Winter War
and
Continuation War
, approximately 550 death sentences were carried out. 455 (some 90%) of those executed were Soviet infiltrators, spies and saboteurs. The officer's authority to execute soldiers refusing to obey commands or fleeing from combat was exercised only in 13 cases. The most famous case is the execution of
conscientious objector
Arndt Pekurinen
in autumn 1941, who was also the penultimate Finn ever to be executed for civilian crimes (conscientious objection during wartime was considered
high treason
). As he declined taking a rifle and going to the front line, he was sentenced to death without trial for disobedience by his commanding officer, Captain Valkonen. Nobody in his battalion volunteered for the firing squad, and Captain Valkonen had to use threat of punishment to order a soldier, Corporal Asikainen, to shoot him. Pekurinen's death was widely considered miscarriage of justice by his service mates.
The last Finn to be executed for civilian crimes was
Toivo "Kirves" (Axe) Koljonen
, who killed a family of six with an axe in 1942. He was shot by a
military police
firing squad
along with Soviet spies sentenced to death for espionage in 1943. The last woman executed in Finland was
Martta Koskinen
, shot for espionage and high treason in 1943. The last Finn to be executed for any crimes was Private Olavi Laiho, who was shot for desertion, high treason and espionage in
Oulu
, 2 September 1944. One day later a group of three Soviet infiltrators were shot, as the last persons to be executed in Finland.
In Post-war Finland
[
edit
]
In independent
Finland
, capital punishment for crimes committed in peacetime was abolished by law in 1949, and in 1972 it was abolished entirely. In addition, the current
Constitution of Finland
, adopted in 2000, – specifically Chapter 2, Section 7 – prohibits capital punishment:
Jokaisella on oikeus elamaan seka henkilokohtaiseen vapauteen, koskemattomuuteen ja turvallisuuteen. Ketaan ei saa tuomita kuolemaan, kiduttaa eika muutoinkaan kohdella ihmisarvoa loukkaavasti.
[1]
(in English:
Everyone has the right to life, personal liberty, integrity and security. No one shall be sentenced to death, tortured or otherwise treated in a manner violating human dignity.
)
[2]
Methods
[
edit
]
In the 19th century and before, as in the other Nordic countries,
beheading
by axe was the most common method of execution. In the 20th century,
firing squads
were used. The official beheading axe of Finland is today on display at Museum of Crime,
Vantaa
.
Some notable lasts:
- Last person executed in peacetime in Finland:
Tahvo Putkonen
, 1825,
beheaded
with
axe
for
murder
- Last person hanged in Finland:
Taavetti Lukkarinen
, 1916, at
Oulu
. He was hanged for
high treason
under
Czarist
Russian
martial law
. Instead of
gallows
, he was hanged in a pine tree. The tree is today protected as a memorial.
- Last person executed for a civilian crime in Finland:
Toivo Koljonen
, 1943, by
firing squad
for six murders.
- Last woman executed in Finland:
Martta Koskinen
, 1943, by firing squad for
espionage
and
high treason
.
- Last Finn executed: Private
Olavi Laiho
, 2 September 1944, by firing squad for
desertion
,
espionage
and
high treason
.
- Last person executed in Finland: a group of three Soviet infiltrators, 3 September 1944, by firing squad for
espionage
.
Reappearance
[
edit
]
On 16 December 2015,
Teuvo Hakkarainen
, a member of
Finnish Parliament
and
Finns Party
, inquired Minister of Justice (who is also a member of the same party) if capital punishment could be reinstated. This was in reference to the court case against two Iraqi asylum seekers, who were members of
ISIS
, for 11 murders. Hakkarainen commented that repeated murder would justify capital punishment, even if done by a native Finn. Some members of the Parliament condemned his suggestion.
[3]
Polling
[
edit
]
In a 2006 poll by
Ilta-Sanomat
, found nearly a third of Finns would support instating the death penalty. Twenty-nine percent would condone it, while 63 percent oppose it. Those most in favour include men and middle-aged people.
[4]
References
[
edit
]
|
---|
Sovereign states
| |
---|
States with limited
recognition
| |
---|
Dependencies and
other entities
| |
---|
Other entities
| |
---|