Finland

A 'citizen's initiative' campaign in Finland is calling for the end of conscription. The “Ohi on” (“It’s Over”) signature drive is backed by WRI affiliate the Committee of 100 and the Union of Conscientious Objectors (AKL). Any civic initiative that gathers a minimum of 50,000 signatures must be considered by Parliament.

FINLAND CCPR/C/FIN/CO/6
14. While welcoming the legislative changes allowing for non-military services applications during mobilizations and serious disturbances and the fact that total objectors can be exempted from unconditional imprisonment, the Committee reiterates its concerns that the length of non-military service is almost twice the duration of the period of service for the rank and file and that the preferential treatment accorded to Jehovah’s Witnesses has not been extended to other groups of conscientious objectors (art. 18).

In Europe, conscription has mostly disappeared and made place for professional armies with high-tech weaponry. This was caused by a transformation of military strategies and a change in the political objectives of defense policy after the end of the Cold War.

Kaj Raninen

Conscription have had a very special role in Finnish society. For decades, conscription for males was seen as an integral part of Finnish society, and for the vast majority of young Finnish men it was self evident that they would do military service. In fact, until the early 1990's, almost 90% of them did it. If someone dared to question conscription system, they were usually ridiculed.

YLE.fi reported on 31 August that Finish total objectors might in future not be sent to prison for their refusal of military and substitute service, but might instead get house arrest. The change is possible due to a new law putting short-term convicts under house arrest. Finnish law enforcement officials plan to use electronic ankle bracelets to monitor convicts serving time at home.

“This is the first time that an option other than prison is made available to conscientious objectors,” says Kaj Raninen from the Finnish Union of Conscientious Objectors.

Although Finland is not a very big arms producer, it still has its share of the market of death. During the past decade, arms exports from Finland have doubled, but still only reach about 1% of all the EU exports. Many of the new arms deals have been made with countries in the Middle East, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Press release 18.11.2010 at 09.15

Portuguese border guard denied entry of 35 Finnish antimilitarists to Portugal early on Thursday morning. The group was on it's way to NATO summit's non-violent counter event in Lisbon, Portugal. The bus trip is organized Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto (Union of COs, Finland).

Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto believes that the right to demonstrate should be part of every democracy in any situation. "Is NATO so much afraid of non-violent demonstrators, that they can't even be allowed in the same country?" Aseistakieltäytyjäliitto wonders.

On 6 December 2009, Finnish Independence Day (a very militarist event in the country), a woman conscientious objector declared her total objection in Finland. She declared: "I don't want to support a machinery of violence by any means, because it is not creating a happy and just future for us. Militaristic activities only sow and feed hatred and bitterness. We should use all our resources for building and maintaining a sustainable future."

The Helsinki Times reported on 14 May that support for conscription in the country is waning. According to a survey carried out on behalf of the national daily newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, 26 per cent of Finns feel that the current system of conscripted national service should be abolished. Opinions on the matter appear to have have evolved in recent years. Four years ago only 19 per cent of those surveyed favoured placing service in the army on a voluntary footing.

In this presentation I will give an overview of the right to conscientious objection, its
legal practices and frameworks in the 27 European Union member states. Before I do so, I want to step back a bit and have a brief look at the existing international standards about the right to
conscientious objection, as these standards allow us to put the practices in the EU member states into a perspective.

European Committee of Social Rights: Conclusions 2008 – Volume 1

(Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy)

Finland

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Service required to replace military service

Under the Military Service Act the length of military service is 180, 270 or 362 days. The duration of unarmed military service is 330 days and of alternative civilian service 395 days.

Service required to replace military service

Under the Military Service Act the length of military service is 180, 270 or 362 days. The duration of unarmed military ser­vice is 330 days and of alternative civilian service 395 days.