European Court of Human Rights to review Finnish journalists' defence‑centre conviction

Two Helsinki Sanomat journalists were convicted for publishing details about the Finnish Defence Forces' communications centre. The Helsinki Court of Appeal found the 2017 articles contained classified information, sentencing Tuomo Pietiläinen to four months of conditional imprisonment and Laura Halminen to an €4,000 fine. Sanoma Media Finland was ordered to remove the article from its website, and the Supreme Court upheld the ruling.

Lawyer Kai Kotiranta, representing Sanoma Media Finland and one of the convicted reporters, said the case has been referred to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in April. The ECHR will decide whether the Finnish authorities’ actions constitute a breach of freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights. Kotiranta emphasized the importance of a broad interpretation of press freedom in the 2020s.