President Niinstö and Prime Minister Juha Sipilä believe that dual nationals pose threat to Finland’s national security

Posted on by Migrant Tales

The debate on dual citizenship in Finland became headline news again on Thursday when President Sauli Niinistö was quoted as saying on YLE News that dual nationals could pose a security threat to the country. On Friday, YLE published a poll where 66% of the respondents agreed that dual nationals shouldn’t be hired to work for the defense forces and foreign ministry. 

One of the interesting questions we should ask is why has dual citizenship become such a burning national issue at this moment?

Source: YLE News.

Apart from this week’s scoop by YLE, which revealed that the defense forces places restrictions on conscripts who are dual citizens of Finland and Russia, it appears to be as well one of President Niinistö’s favorite topics. In 2014, he started to gather information about dual citizens.

According to Thursday’s Helsingin Sanomat, a person with Finnish and Russian citizenship was also turned down a job in the foreign ministry because he was a dual national.

Another reason why dual citizenship has hit the headlines in Finland again is because municipal elections will take place on April 9. This may be a good way for government parties like the anti-immigration Perussuomalaiset*, which have seen their poll numbers plummet, and its partners, the Center Party and National Coalition Party (NCP), to bolster support in the upcoming elections.

Another politician that was in favor of placing restrictions on dual nationals from getting jobs at the foreign ministry and defense forces is Prime Minister Juha Sipilä of the Center Party.

Before being elected as head of state, Niinistö was an NCP member.

Plans to discriminate against dual nationals in Finland may have also a lot to do with the present negative immigration and anti-cultural diversity climate in Finland, which has put pressure on political parties to scale back and water down laws that stand up for human rights and diversity.

Source: YLE News.

After Finland became a member of the European Union in 1995, it passed a number of liberal laws that fostered respect for diversity and human rights.

One of these new laws was the Constitution, which replaced in 1999 the former one that was in force since 1919. Section 6 of the present Constitution states:

“No one shall, without an acceptable reason, be treated differently from other persons on the ground of sex, age, origin, language, religion, conviction, opinion, health, disability or other reason that concerns his or her person.”

Matti Jutila of the Finnish League for Human Rights believes that it will be difficult to draft a law that sees dual citizenship as an “acceptable reason” to exclude people from being hired at the foreign ministry or defense forces.

Continue reading “President Niinstö and Prime Minister Juha Sipilä believe that dual nationals pose threat to Finland’s national security”

Hayder Al-Hatemi is freed from detention and becomes a momentary bright spot in the gloom that asylum seekers face in Finland

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Some stories that Migrant Tales has published about asylum seekers in Finland have had tragic endings.  On Wednesday, however, there was a bright spot that cut through some of the gloom: Hayder Al-Hatemi, alias “SH,”* was released from detention from Helsinki’s Metsälä immigration removal center.

Today was his first full day as a free man.

“It really feels great to be free,” he said by phone. “I met Miro [del Gaudio] and we went to Migri [Finnish Immigration Service] to renew my work permit.”

Al-Hatemi said that being locked up at an immigration removal center like Metsälä is something he had never experienced in his life before.

“You are locked up with other people who may have criminal records and be drug dealers,” he continued. “What is my crime? Is it because my application for asylum was rejected? I’m not a criminal.”

Al-Hatemi said that his employer at a bakery in Laitila has promised to help him enroll in school so he could learn a new profession and become a baker. “This is such a nice feeling and so many people have helped me and made my freedom a reality,” he said.

Celebrating Hayder Al-Hatemi release Wednesday in Helsinki. From left to right: Eero Pellikka, Al-Hatemi, and Miro del Gaudio.

Al-Hatemi’s legal representatives, Lex Gaudius, have been instrumental in helping the Iraqi asylum seeker.

Lex Gaudius authorized lawyer Eero Pellikka was happy as well about his release.

Continue reading “Hayder Al-Hatemi is freed from detention and becomes a momentary bright spot in the gloom that asylum seekers face in Finland”

Jussi Niinistön kiihkon ei saa antaa runnella uskoa ihmiseen ja ihmisyyteen

Posted on by Reija Härkönen

Lapsuuden kirkonkylässä asui ”herrojen Eeva”, vuokrahuoneessa Kuokkasen kauppaa vastapäätä. Koskelan Baari oli ihan vieressä, sieltä oli hyvä rohkaisuryypyn jälkeen pistäytyä päiväkahvilla. Kun Eeva tuli raskaaksi ja sai lapsen, sille etsittiin elättäjää. Ruokkomaksuille joutui kylällä tuttu mies, perheenisä, maanviljelijä ja luotettu kunnallispoliitikko. Skandaali oli tietysti tuohon aikaan 3000 asukkaan kylässä suuri, niin kuin aina näissä sukupuoliasioissa, mutta se asettui ja kylä jatkoi elämäänsä.

Pitäisikö sitten tuollaisten tapausten varalta olla luottamatta ihmiseen, menemättä naimisiin ja hankkimatta lapsia? Ovatko kaikki miehet ja naiset petollisia huijareita? Tuskinpa vain, joitakin vietti vie ja aviolupaus unohtuu, toiset eivät siitä kovin paljon perusta alunperinkään.

Ihmisten välisissä suhteissa pitäisi kuitenkin aina perustaa tekonsa ja toimensa siihen, että luotetaan toiseen ihmiseen, hänen hyväntahtoisuuteensa ja rehellisyyteensä. Avioliitossa ja muissa suhteissa sitten katsotaan, että itse toimitaan avoimesti ja hyvässä hengessä ja että toinenkin tekee niin. Jos on syytä epäillä, että toinen on täysi lurkki, niin olisi ehkä syytä olla solmimatta sitoumuksia.

Sama koskee mielestäni kansalaisia. Jos Suomen valtio ottaa ihmisen hakemuksesta kansalaiseksi, valtio luottaa tällöin henkilön hyväntahtoisuuteen ja haluun asua ja elää kunniallisena, luotettavana kansalaisena. Muussa tapauksessa kansalaisuutta ei myönnetä. Näinhän lakikin sanoo.

kansalaisuuslaki
Kansalaisuuslaki, 13. pykälän loppu

Suomalaisista monet tuntevat epäluottamusta venäläisiä naapureita kohtaan. Myös niitä venäläissyntyisiä ihmisiä kyräillään, jotka ovat muuttaneet Suomeen, asettuneet elämään ja hakeneet ja saaneet kansalaisuuden. Pitkät sodat, sukulaisten kaatumiset, karjalaiset evakot ja ryssä viholaisena ovat vielä muistissa, ja itsenäisyyspäivinä muistutellaan. Vanhempien ihmisten tuntema kauna on vielä melko luonnollista, vaikkakin turhaa, mutta nuoremmalla polvella – jo minunkin ikäisilläni kohta kuusikymppisillä – tämä on usutettua ennakkoluuloa, josta olisi jo aika kasvaa irti. Hyvä yhteiselo sekä omien että naapureiden kesken perustuu aina luottamukseen ja turhista ennakkoluuloista vapautumiseen.

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Iraqi asylum seeker SH was released today after being detained since January 6

Posted on by Migrant Tales

SH, the Iraqi asylum seeker who was detained by the police on Janaury 6, was released today from Helsinki’s Metsälä immigration removal center. SH was detained on the same day together with KM, who was released from detention on January 12.

“I’m really happy and now I must renew my work permit,” he told Migrant Tales this afternoon.

Read the full story here.

SH said he will return to Laitila where he was working at a bakery.

Facebook: Don’t let the Finnish government and Migri get you down, says Kerstin Ösgård

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Kerstin Ösård

Everybody here, my friends in the Iraqi community, feel so down these days about this country’s crazy asylum policy and Migri’s stupidity. I just want all you to know that we are many Finnish people who work very hard to change the situation because we simply cannot accept how our country treats you.

We could today have 30,000 happy former refugees here, who would now work,  study, feel safe, hope for the future, and who would be part of our country and contribute as tax-payers thanks to innovation and new businesses. Instead, we have 20,000 angry, tired, desperate refugees, who live in fear and pressure, and who have come to hate this country.  Everybody can clearly see now that this country’s policies towards refugees is a total disaster, and that everybody, both Finns and refugees, suffer from it. The present situation doesn’t make anybody, including the racists, happier or create wellbeing. It only leads to tension and increased negativity and hatred. It’s a total failure. We have to help the government to see that.

The government and Migri are breaching international laws and undermining humanitarian values… I hope Finns wake up to see that the biggest security threat to our country at the moment aren’t foreigners, but this country’s ridiculous fear-based caveman-like government policies, and those angry racists who spread fear and hatred when there is no need for it. They live in some weird bubble where they believe that Arab people are rapists, criminals and terrorists , which is, of course, completely untrue. I feel so sorry for some Finns who don’t know that reality is much more positive, friendly and nice, than the one they see in their minds  and clouds their decisions.

Continue reading “Facebook: Don’t let the Finnish government and Migri get you down, says Kerstin Ösgård”

Tankar och känslor

Posted on by Beri Jamal

Idag är det Februari den 1 år 2017 och det har hänt mycket sen 1.1.2017  allt från explosioner i Bagdad, till ISIS attacker i Mousel till masskidnappningar i Basra och andra städer i södra Irak och sedan till runt om i världen med all flykting kris, för att inte tala om Finland som fortfarande tvångs utvisar Irakiska asylsökande även efter löftet som Juha Sipilä gav då de först kom till Finland att han tänker öppna sitt hem för dem, men det slutade med att kastas  i fängelseceller där de delar en säng och vid deras sida finns en toalett och i detta rum så äter de.

Mitt hjärta gråter och blöder varje gång jag tänker på alla dessa människor som begick brottet med att välja ett land som noll respekterade dem som människor – ett land som lovade tomma löften.

Eller de fall där en man tas från den personen de älskat och startat ett liv med, för att sedan få ett negativ beslut och på pekning ” du borde inte ha ingått ett förhållande med en asylsökande”

Hur kan man bara säga så? Hur kan immigrationsverket se på asylsökande som icke värdiga människor att ingå ett förhållande. Har de någonsin tänkt varför många finländska kvinnor väljer att binda sig med asylsökande?

För att dessa män har upplevt ALLT! och då menar jag verkligen allt. Fara, hot, hunger, fattigdom, död, sorg och till sist har de vuxit upp till starka män – där inget kan skrämma dem mera eller krossa dem. MEN det de inte visste att det kommer att komma till den situationen där ingenting av dessa hjälper – då ett regering noll värde sätter dessa människor och börjar ta beslut av människor liv utan att granska eller erkänna faran dessa kommer att befinna sig i ifall de skickas tillbaka.

När en person son Nerg påstår att tvångsutvisning är den sista utvägen de väljer – och då är det deras nummer ett prioritering att tvångsutvisa irakiska asylsökande som fått två avslag och som även väntar på att högsta domstolen skall ge ut den sista  beslutet.

Hur jag än tänker på det som pågår just nu så blir jag allt mer rädd – kommer vi att ha en tredje världskrig? Kommer vi att bli flyktingar igen? eller skall vi kriga för vårta land – vilket är vårt land då? Finland? Irak?

Continue reading “Tankar och känslor”

Iraqi asylum seeker being put on plane and deported today

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Migrant Tales has learned of a new deportation today at around 7 pm Tuesday from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, according to a video below posted on social media sites. 

“This terrifies me because it proves to me that human rights don’t apply to us,” an asylum seeker said. “You really don’t know where you’ll be in Finland the next day or even next hour.”

Iraqi Ambassador to Finland, Matheel Dhayif Al-Sabti, told Migrant Tales earlier this month that “Iraq will not accept forced deportations.”

Susannah: Kaksien kärryjen politiikkaa taas.

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Olen ollut kiireinen, anteeksi, kiitos ja nyt tulee: Katsoin eilen ma 30.1.2017 A-studiota sieltä ykköseltä uutisten jälkeen.

Ritva Elomaa (Kike) selitti, miten maahanmuuttolinjaukset ovat ehtaa perussuomalaista osaamista. Ja siitä vastuussa on itse Jussi Halla-aho yhdessä hallituksen alkutaipaleen perussuomalaisten ministerien kanssa. Ja se näkyy.

Katso A-studio tästä.

Maita on julisteltu turvallisiksi vailla mitään faktalistapohjaa , ja Migrin pitää toteuttaa tätä järjettömyyttä, ilmeisen poliittisen ohjauksen takia. Hallinto-oikeus on usein ollut ihan toisella kannalla karkotuksista, koska sillä tuntuu olevan eri maatiedot tai ainakin se osaa soveltaa niitä oikean suuntaisesti.

Continue reading “Susannah: Kaksien kärryjen politiikkaa taas.”

Restrictions by the defense forces on dual nationals is discriminatory and should be forcefully rejected

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Should it surprise us that a member of an anti-immigration party like the Perussuomalaiset (PS)* is suspicious of dual citizens? Add to the latter that the person who is suspicious is Defense Minister Jussi Niinistö, who is known for his far-right sympathies.

According to information obtained by YLE,  and if the story is true, the Finnish defense forces has begun to place restrictions on conscripts who are dual citizens of Finland and Russia. YLE said that no such guidelines existed before.

Finland has considered limiting the role of dual nationals in key public posts for years but has not asked if this is unconstitutional.

YLE reported that despite some circles wanting to limit the role of people with dual citizenship in the army, there is no legislation that permits such restrictions from taking place now. The finance ministry is, however, working on such legislative reforms.

Said Niinistö in YLE:

“I personally take the view that when we talk about professional military positions, there are weighty reasons excluding dual nationality. There will now be a review to clarify this. The required proposals will be prepared for legislation on the Defence Forces on how national security can be improved in filling professional military positions, and when an individual applies for training leading to a professional officer’s commission.”

Read the full story here.

One of the biggest unanswered questions of the YLE story concerning dual nationals is if it is discriminatory.

Continue reading “Restrictions by the defense forces on dual nationals is discriminatory and should be forcefully rejected”

Trump’s USAmerica and populist parties in Europe have given us a choice: democracy or demagoguery

Posted on by Migrant Tales

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to chat in Brussels with Wouter Van Bellingen, the first black deputy mayor of Belgium and prominent a civil rights activist against cases like Black Pete. Some of the topics we touched upon were the future of Europe in light of the rise of far-right populist parties and the start of President Donald Trump’s mandate in the White House.

One thing we agreed on was that people in Europe and the United States are faced with two choices. “At the end of the day we are faced with a choice,” he said, “either you are on the side of democracy or you’re not.”

By “populist demagoguery,” we not only mean Trump but far-right European politicians like Harald Vilimsky of the Austrian FPÖ, Matteo Salvini of the Italian Lega Nord, Gert Wilders of the PVV of Holland, Marine Le Pen of Front Nationale, and Germany’s Frauke Petry of AfD as well as others.

Such politicians above have little to no respect for cultural diversity because their political ideology is based on perpetuating white supremacy and privilege.

I must admit that I’ve been left speechless by Trump’s first week in the White House and how it threatens our core democratic pluralist values and world peace.  The recent executive order to ditch the entire US refugee program and ban Muslims from traveling to the US from seven countries is one terrifying example.

Continue reading “Trump’s USAmerica and populist parties in Europe have given us a choice: democracy or demagoguery”