CONFIDENTIAL
FINLAND
Report by HM Embassy, Helsinki
General Observations
1. The Finnish record is basically clean, barring occasional faint shadows cast for the most part by the Finns' anxiety, and need, to maintain their balancing act vis a vis the USSR. It is Finnish Government policy, though not stated publicly, to return defectors (and those crossing the border illegally, whether or not deliberately) to the Soviet Union, unless there are strong humani- tarian reasons to the contrary. Numbers, however, are relatively low since this Finnish practice is apparently well known amongst defectors. Steps have been taken to prevent publicity on specific cases so as to avoid a situation where pressure can be put on the Finnish authorities to allow a defector to stay in the West. Minorities are generally well treated and there is little overt racial prejudice, but gypsies appear liable to "forcible" moving on, and to refusal of entry at frontiers.
Right No.
(i) Seventeen days detention without trial is
permitted by law, during which a lawyer should be given reasonable and early access. Legal aid is available.
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(ii) Torture is not used.
(iii)
There is no slavery.
(iv)
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(v)
(vi)
"Self" censorship is applied in the media and the press over certain aspects of Finland's foreign relations and domestic policies, and some news items, usually affecting the USSR: its level is highly responsive to the balance of Fenno-Soviet Relations.
The judiciary enjoys complete independence.
Officially complete freedom exists, and there is full trades union participation in wage/ price negotiations etc. Those unions which are Stalinist dominated, however, refuse to admit members on political grounds: and Presidential pressure, amounting to an ultimatum, and considered by some as a surprising degree of interference, was recently applied to break a railwaymen's strike.
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CONFIDENTIAL
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