Monthly Archives: December 2017

Torture at Guantanamo Bay

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer has appealed to the United States to end a pervasive policy of impunity for crimes of torture. He highlighted a case at Guantanamo Bay, where torture and ill-treatment are reported to continue. Read more,

As we have earlier reported, it is even suspected that inmates have been tortured to death there.

Finland – one hundred years of independence?

Today, the 6 December 2017, Finland is celebrating one hundred years of independence. But how independent is Finland really? Finland’s special relationship with the Soviet Union during the cold war has been debated for many years. However, not many are aware that the CIA has run a secret army in Finland, which was linked to NATO. This is obviously one of Finland’s most guarded secrets. We can read about one of the denials in an article by Daniele Ganser and Mats Deland:

Finland’s Defence Minister, Elisabeth Rehn, called these revelations “a fairy-tale”

In the early 1940s Finland cooperated with Nazi Germany, but seems to have learned very little from that mistake. Finland has signed a Host Nation Support Agreement with NATO. Some Finns are arguing for a full NATO membership. They may see this as necessary to preserve their independence, but the reality is that Finland is step by step giving up independence and again advancing their cooperation with suspects of very severe crime.