Helvetin Pastori/Pastor of Hell

Finland is one the few Western countries to still have blasphemy laws in the books. Bit of a debate rose up on the topic recently. More on that here. https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/yle_survey_most_mps_want_to_keep_blasphemy_law_but_majority_of_finns_party_greens_favour_change/12010478 Obviously I had to give my two cents on the topic and as result I wrote an opinion piece that was published on the website of Ankkuri, one of our local papers on the 7th of July 2021. This is a translation of that piece, the original one is here: https://www.pkank.fi/uutiset/mielipide-ensimmainen-pykala-kuuluu-roskakoriin-6.19.18135.dacdd6e3e6 Recently Yle asked members of parliament about their views on removing the law against "disrupting religious peace" (note: this is a literal translation, made by the writer). The law is considered problematic because among other things it bans blasphemy. In fact, the UN Human Rights Committee has told Finland to remove the law because it violates freed...

This is a translation of an opinion piece I wrote, published in Kymen Sanomat on the 4th of June 2021 (3rd of June on the website). Link to the original here: https://www.kymensanomat.fi/paakirjoitus-mielipide/4170575 For context: Suvivirsi (Den blomstertid nu kommer in Swedish) is a popular church hymn in Finland and Sweden. Due to its lyrics which celebrate the coming of Summer, it has become a popular songs in end of the year celebrations in schools. As you might guess, singing a blatantly religious song schools is something that many people oppose and as a result, Suvivirsi, while a time honored tradition, has become a topic of intense debate, which unfortunately seems to derail the wider discussion on the role of religion in general. Facebook recently brought up memories from three years ago, when I had an argument on Twitter about Suvivirsi. Now that the school year is about to end I think it's the perfect time to talk about it again. Due to the religious nature of it’s lyric...

Translation of an article by Yle, published on the 16th on October 2020. Link below. Käännös Ylen 16.10.2020 julkaistusta artikkelista. Linkki alla. https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11599142?origin=rss Many Western countries have suspended extradition to the region after China changed the status of Hong Kong with a new law. Finland will suspend it's extradition treaty with Hong Kong. According to the proposal by the government the judicial situation in Hong Kong has become unclear, after China introduced a national security law on the region which limits the regions autonomy. President Sauli Niinistö has approved the suspension of the extradition treaty today. Finland has decided that in order to clarify the situation, a separate decision is needed about the viability of the extradition treaty. Extradition treaty's allow Finland to extradite suspected criminals at the requests of other countries, based on specific criteria. The treaty between Finland and Hong Kong has never been applie...

https://www.talouselama.fi/uutiset/te/16d1b8f4-6b49-402e-af13-5e1cac163578?ref=ampparit:a1ad Translation of an article published in Talouselämä on the 22nd of July 2020. Link below. Käännös Talouselämä-lehdessä 22.7.2020 julkaistusta artikkelista. Linkki alla. From the MEP's five supported both economic and human rights based sanctions. According to Uutissuomalainen, ten from Finland's 14 MEP's support EU-level sanctions against China due to the late June enactment of a national security law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. From the MEP's Ville Niinistö (Greens), Alviina Alametsä (Greens), Elsi Katainen (Center), Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (Social Democrats) and Silvia Modig (Left Alliance) support sanction based on both economical and human rights based sanctions. Alametsä points out that the EU is currently negotiating with China about a massive investment deal. "The deal should include legally binding clauses to protect sustainable de...

Käännös 21.7.2020 julkaistusta RTHK:n artikkelista. Linkki alla Translation of an article by RTHK published on the 21st of July 2020. Link below. https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1539019-20200721.htm Asianajajliiton varapuheenjohtaja Anita Yip sanoi tiistaina, että Britannian päätös jäädyttää Hongkongin kanssa solmittu luovutussopimus "välittömästi ja määrittelemättömäksi ajaksi" toimii "epäluottamuslauseena" kaupungin oikeuslaitosta kohtaan kiistanalaisen turvallisuuslain astuttua voimaan. Britannian ulkoministeri Dominic Raab kertoi olevansa huolissaan laista ja mahdollisuuksista lain väärinkäyttöön. Britannia on viimeisin Five Eyes-maista, joka on katkaissut luovutusjärjestelynsä Hongkongin kanssa. Kanada ja Australia ovat jo tehneet niin, vedoten poliittisen vainon mahdollisuuteen Pekingin ajettua turvallisuuslain läpi. Yhdysvallat on ilmoittanut tekevänsä samoin, Uuden Seelannin tarkistaessa sopimustaan Hongkongin kanssa. Yip sanoi, joide...

Käännös 20.7.2020 julkaistusta RTHK:n artikkelista. Linkki alla Translation of an article by RTHK published on the 20th of July 2020. Link below. https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1538813-20200720.htm Demosiston entinen johtaja Joshua Wong sanoi maanantaina, että "Pekingin viranomaisten" käsitellä hänen ehdokuuttaan lainsäädäntöneuvoston vaaleissa geopolitiikan ja diplomatian kautta, hänen jätettyä hakemuksensa asettua ehdolla Kowloon Eastissa. Wong, joka nimettiin ehdokkaaksi demokraattien esivaaleissa yli 31 000 äänellä, varoitti että hänen ehdokkuutensa hylkääminen johtaisi merkittäviin seuraamuksiin Pekingille. "Ehdokkuudellani haluan näyttää, että Hongkongin asukkaat eivät suostu antautumaan, huolimatta kommunistisen hallinnon tukahduttamisyrityksistä," Wong kertoi toimittajille maanantaina. Hän kertoi, ettei aio allekirjoittaa varmistuslomaketta, jossa vaaditaan uskollisuutta erityishallintoalueelle, sanoen, ettei se ole vaatimus ehdokku...

Translation of an article by YLE, published on the 15th of July 2020. Käännös Ylen 15.7.2020 julkaistusta artikkelista. https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11449622 According to Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson (Swedish Peoples's Party) Finland's extradition treaty with Hong Kong has been in practice suspended. The treaty signed in 2005 had to be reviewed after China tightened it's grip on the Special Administrative Region. A new national security law took effect in Hong Kong at the beginning of July. (Little correction: the treaty was signed in 2013, while negotiations on the treaty started in 2005.) Henriksson said that because of the national security law, Finland considers Hong Kong's legal status as being unclear. "We can say that in practice the extradition treaty has been suspended, because of Hong Kong's unclear legal status. As far as Finland is concerned, at the moment and based on the information we have, all extraditions are out of the...