At the St. Petersburg press conference 9.12.2010 prominent Finnish human rights activist PhD Johan Bäckman raised the issue of human rights violations in Finland. Johan Bäckman suggests that Finland is blackmailing Russia with children by keeping Russian children hostage. In Finland during a very short period of time Russian children have been taken away from their Russian parents by Finnish authorities. At the conference Russian mothers tell their heartbreaking stories – families torn apart, children deprived of their parents by authorities, moral abuse as well as national and religious discrimination.
Almost 2 years ago, Russian boy Anton Salonen, a citizen of Russian Federation, was violently kidnapped from his mother in Russia and with the support of the Finnish diplomats illegally hidden in the Finnish consulate in St. Petersburg for a month, and then the child was smuggled in the trunk of the Finnish diplomatic car across the border.
Immediately after that country's leadership, denying the Russian citizenship of Anton, blamed Russia, which has not acceded to the Hague Convention on child abduction. Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said referring to the abduction and smuggling of the Russian boy Anton that Finnish diplomats had acted “correctly, legally and humanely”.
Doctor Bäckman informs that in Finland Anton Salonen has been subjected to the process of de-Russification: Finnish authorities forbade him to speak his native Russian language, to meet with his Russian mother, denied the boy’s Russian citizenship, banned the child from all ties with the Orthodox religion, took away his cross, and against his mother Rimma Salonen was fabricated a criminal case. According to Finnish authorities citizen of Russia being the child’s legal guardian did not have the right to go to Russia with her son. Anton’s mother Rimma Salonen has been blackmailed and given ultimatums in order to silence her.
Doctor Bäckman informs that in Finland Anton Salonen has been subjected to the process of de-Russification: Finnish authorities forbade him to speak his native Russian language, to meet with his Russian mother, denied the boy’s Russian citizenship, banned the child from all ties with the Orthodox religion, took away his cross, and against his mother Rimma Salonen was fabricated a criminal case. According to Finnish authorities citizen of Russia being the child’s legal guardian did not have the right to go to Russia with her son. Anton’s mother Rimma Salonen has been blackmailed and given ultimatums in order to silence her.
Finnish human rights activist is convinced that while the Finnish authorities continue to put pressure on Russia with the requirement to sign the Hague Convention, Anton Salonen is virtually held hostage by the Finnish government. He is guarded by Finnish security services, local police must know the whereabouts of the boy at any moment, Mother Rimma has the right to meet with him only twice a month for 2-3 hours under the supervision of intelligence services, police and social workers, including police cars, and even a helicopter. Communicating in Russian has been strictly prohibited (though starting from November under the pressure of Russian authorities the interpreter has been provided to interpret for the guards, so the mother and the child could communicate in their native language – Russian). In an interesting way the future of certain members of the Finnish government, many of whom were directly involved in the realization of illegal actions regarding the abduction and trafficking of Anton from Russia to Finland, depends on this child.
Finnish authorities and journalists persistently try to hide the fact that former Finnish diplomat Simo Pietiläinen, who smuggled the child, as well as the father of Anton Paavo Salonen are under criminal investigation (see http://evgeniahj.blogspot.com/2010/11/lapsikaappaus-suomeen.html). Disclosed information suggests that Anton might face deportation to Norway so that his half-brother (Paavo Salonen’s eldest son) could become Anton’s legal guardian. Johan Bäckman assumes that apparently in Norway, the secret services would be able to protect the child more effectively from the Orthodox cross and the love of his Russian mother.
In the case of Valentina Putkonen Finnish authorities without a court decision deported Valentina’s daughter Julia (Julia Putkonen) to Russia to the girl’s Finnish father, although in the Salonen's case a trip to Russia was almost automatically recognized as a serious criminal offense. Valentina Putkonen’s daughter is also being isolated from the Orthodox faith, can meet with her mother only once in 2 months for 2 hours, without permission to speak Russian, and in the presence of Finnish social workers. According to Johan Bäckman, Julia Putkonen is now also held hostage by the Finnish government in Kaayani (Northern Finland) at her grandmother’s place. Thus, the Finnish authorities have deprived the girl of both parents.
Julia Putkonen, an innocent girl, wishes to receive only 1 Christmas gift - to meet with her mother. But doctor Bäckman suspects that the girl’s destiny is to be held hostage by the Finnish government, which blackmails Russia to sign the Hague Convention.
Almost miraculous seems to be the story of Russian boy Robert Rantala, who was taken away from his parents to the orphanage. After the visit of the Russian ombudsman Pavel Astakhov to Finland Robert Rantala was able to return to his family. But the Finnish authorities continued proceedings against Robert’s Russian mother Inga Rantala, who escaped with her child to St. Petersburg in the summer 2010, where Robert has already started school. Johan Bäckman points out that among the Russian children-hostages in Finland Robert is still the only one who has been liberated.
”The well-known cases of Robert Rantala, Anton Salonen, Julia Putkonen and other Russian children-hostages suggest that Finnish authorities use children as a new weapon of information warfare. By means of bullying and serious violations of human rights of Russian children and their parents, Finland, in violation of international conventions and its own laws, shows Russia that it is entitled to all sorts of things, while Russia has not signed the Hague Convention on child abduction. This is blackmail and extortion, and it is well known that in these cases Finland itself violates international conventions and its own laws.”
The Russian side is being taking certain measures in order to release the innocent children and to protect the lives and health of its citizens.
