The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is holding a two day Ministerial Council meeting in Helsinki, Finland, which currently chairs the OSCE. As far as the TT has been able to learn, nothing concrete has been decided in the meetings. As one politician said last night, more questions were being offered than answers, so don’t expect any unanimous declarations.
What is also of interest are the demonstrations taking place in the streets of the nation’s capital, in which a crowd of Iranians are protesting the Iranian government. According to YLE, the Iranian government has asked that two Iranians traveling to Finland be held, and returned to Iran because, get this, ….they’re suspected as being terrorists. KGS
YLE: “Up to about 80 supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) took part in the demonstration on Thursday morning. Police say that the demonstration proceeded peacefully. The aim of the demonstration was to draw the attention of the international community to the actions of the Iranian regime. The protesters said that the Iranian government supports terrorism and hard-line Muslim movements all over the Middle East.
Detention of Iranians at Airport Criticised
The demonstrators also criticised the detention of two Iranian men who arrived in Finland on Sunday, whom the Iranian government considers terrorists. The men were detained on the basis of an international arrest warrant. They were released on Wednesday, but ordered not to leave the country. The two were in Finland to take part in NGO activities linked with the OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting.
Finland has not received an official extradition request for the men. Minister of Justice Tuija Brax says that the Ministry of Justice will not deal with the matter until an official request is made. She also emphasised that Finland does not return people to countries where they would face the death penalty.
