It is timely for International Conscientious Objectors' Day 2009 to republish an interview from late 2008 with a Finn imprisoned for refusing to take either option of Finnish Conscription.

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First of all, please describe your complete experience in prison.

During the first two days I was held in a Prison building that is condemned by the European Council because it does not fulfill all the human rights requirements. It was during the wintertime and the window was rather drafty. I was cold and shivering under the blanket. I tried to stay still not to waste energy because the food really didn't have sufficient nutritional contents. In general I didn't get enough to eat. I had even announced beforehand that I was a vegan and still they hadn't done anything about it.

When I saw the cell I was thrown in to, I decided that it would be mandatory to clean the contraption as well as I could manage. The walls were partly covered with vomit or other secretion substance that wasn't coming off during this century. The walls were dripping with tar and nicotine when I washed them so that a blue towel I used for cleaning turned greenish-brown. There was sand and glass on the floor and there was a hidden surprise behind the toilet... a dirty razorblade that cut my finger. It took months before I got to know that it did not contain any diseases. During that time I suffered from stress induced diarrhoea and could not absorb food properly. My weight dropped four kilos within the first month.

When I wiped my nose I blew out black snot or mucus, the air in there was that bad. I do not smoke. When they locked me up they did not give me a chance to make a phone call even though I asked it twice and it is listed as my right in the prison law. They did not provide me with a list of human rights’ authorities, even though it is requested by the law as well. When my friends tried to call me from outside the prison to ask if I was all right they refused to give any information.

Afterwards I was transferred to a building next door, a so-called open prison. I was situated in a cell with a cell mate who used to smoke indoors. Regulations are clear on the matter that people who do not smoke should be given a cell of their own. I got my own smoke free cell only after forty days or so, even though it could've been possible to organize it earlier. I was suspected of drug use more often than people who were in there for drug use or had actually used drugs, my locker was being inspected when I was not around, even though the prison law is quite clear that I should be present during inspections.

There was this one time when I was coerced to give a urine sample for drug tests by threat. When I entered the room in which the sample was to be given I asked if I could see when a clean cup is taken from the wrappers. I got threats immediately that I was to be thrown in the shitty cell which I once already cleaned up. I never refused to give a urine sample; I only asked to see if the cup was clean. The most shocking part is that the person coercing me was threatening with a place that actually does not even fulfill the human rights requirements of Finnish constitutional law.

Once they made an inspection for all the cells in the department I lived in. My room was clean and my bed was made and so forth. There really was nothing to complain about. And still, I was asked if my mother did not teach me how to make my bed. And I was shown how to make my bed quite meticulously. I actually could not believe it. And still can't. Do they actually think that they are doing a university student some kind of favour in self control or something, by forcing to make beds in certain way instead of other?

There are so many things that I could complain about. Most them have something to do with unequal treatment of COs. They did not allow me to see my girlfriend without supervision and told me that even if I could get a marriage certificate it would not be of any use. Later I heard that other inmates got to meet their girlfriends with only a copy of their renting bills or were even advised to get married by the prison officials.

Just during the last weekend I was accused of drug trafficking without any evidence and my room was turned upside down. I tried asking on what grounds I was suspected, and got no answers. After they brought sand on my floor and messed my bed and damaged a few books and read my letters they told me to clean up the mess. They even called me names and did not make a proper document of the search. They even told me to leave the room while they were messing up my cell.

I need to add that when I was blamed for trafficking I was made to strip bare in front of three people and even my hair was checked through. My arms were twisted to see if I had any needle marks on my arms. (No, I did not have any).

This is clearly against the law; the prison law states that I must be present if my room is searched. Afterwards I was threatened that all the other inmates would soon know who is doing the trafficking if I told anybody about what had happened. Worst part about this whole thing is that it is very hard to get people held accountable for these violations. And all I did wrong was the fact that I gave a copy of the prison law to one of my friends who got transferred to a closed prison I was in. He had apparently been using something or so I was told. I do not know what the truth is, but I do know that the search was not done properly. Apparently one is not entitled to be aware of one’s rights in prison.

The health care in prisons is such that they do not do anything until people’s arms or legs are rotting off. I have seen this with my own eyes. They let you suffer until the last minute before doing anything. They do not do anything even if someone is suicidal. They actually let people try and kill themselves, I know, I tried strangling my self and tried cutting my arteries. It is surprisingly hard to kill yourself, if there is even a small part in you that wants to live, apparently I had.

Why did you think that being a conscientious prisoner would be the best way to fight against the rules (mandatory military service) of the Finnish military system?

It is not so much a way of fighting the system. It is more like an attempt to minimize the damage that people are causing each other and the planet. It is about the fact that I can prove with my own actions that a different way of acting and living is possible. I try to be an empirical proof of the fact that veganism and antimilitarism is possible and only thing that makes it a suffering is the system. One cannot fight against the military; one can only resist giving away personal responsibility for independent thinking and blind obedience of authorities.

In today’s society obedience to authority is one of the most irresponsible things people can do. That way they are making way for the greedy and slime tongued politicians. Besides, I have no property to defend or to die for, stupidest thing ever would be to die defending somebody else’s assets that have been acquired by legalized robbery. I am too poor to go to the army and too smart to realise it. Life probably would be a lot easier if I could make other choices, too bad I do not believe in the freedom of volition.

Most young men who choose military service are scared that employers will discriminate against them if they don't. Do you know many cases of friends who chose military service because of this/or who were discriminated at work, and what do you think about it?

I think that it’s utter nonsense. Finnish law forbids discrimination on these grounds. Doing armed service is not going to benefit anybody in post-modern world. Employers don't care what you have done but what you can do for them. How are you going to bring in money for the firm and with what costs. If employees actually cared if one has a military service record, they would not hire women, and yet there is plenty of work that is effectively done daily by people who have not done any kind of service.

I actually think that proper civil service can benefit a lot more when looking for a place to work. Doing civil service instead of going to the army gives an edge at the modern labour market because it is actual work experience in a proper work place. I have friends who are actually being employed as museum and research assistants. I think the whole story of not getting a job because of not going in the army is a major hoax that people are made to believe so that they'd think that they are volunteering for military service.

18-year-olds are seldom independent thinkers. Major part of Finnish elementary education is filled with patriotic ethos and rituals. Children are told in regular intervals how the army is beneficial, etc. Even in high school the military propaganda is being propagated in totally weird contexts like in history courses of Finnish language.

Finland has been criticised by the United Nation's Human Rights Committee for human rights violations on the treatment of the Conscientious Objectors. Have you been engaged in appealing to international organisations and requesting them to intervene in such national laws?

No I have not. But I would truly appreciate the help or knowledge on how to do this. I am an Amnesty International adopté but that's about it. I'm willing to do more, but I lack the intellectual means and energy. I think that there are several stories of CO's that would deserve more day light, I am quite sure that people would be treated even worse if the political climate were any different. I would not be surprised at all if Finland would start executing its political prisoners or start treating them more harshly. It is pretty appalling that love for life and strive for equality causes CO's to end in the same place as arms dealers, killers, batterers, rapists and so forth. In some places the CO's get worse treatment than the major criminals.

If a national referendum was done with regards to the military conscription in Finland, do you think that the results would prove that your struggle is also the wish of the majority? Even if it is not, do you think that a referendum would be a viable solution, or should the law be changed directly by the parliament?

Finns are utterly brainwashed by the state's quite effective propaganda machines (especially elementary school and the national holidays). National referendum would not support my side of the issue. If people could make the choice from their hearts without the feelings of obligation to imaginary history of their ancestors or feelings of need for being a macho guy, then probably the vote would turn out differently.

Finns have been socio-historically traumatized by a war that lasted for about three months and these three months have been used over and over again in an Orwellian manner to control Finns in many different ways. Finland took part in WWII twice and the second time Finland was the culprit. It was Finland that decided to attack not the Soviet Union and this issue is still a bit hazy when discussed in history lessons of the younger generations. Finns fought with the Nazis and it is still something that is not to be spoken about.

Somehow the wrongs suffered in the miniwar of 1939 (which was lost) are turned into a heroic saga about victorious people who live in harsh conditions eating trees bark (so called pettuleipä). This heroic epic is turned into a victorious war story in which the second participation in the WWII is being justified as righteous act and we are told that it somehow saved us... but from what we're not told?

In Finland it’s very hard to get people to act disobediently against the establishment; most are scared witless by the police, army or any of the state’s officials. People are not very into defending their civil liberties in here because they trust that if something is made illegal it’s also morally right thing to do not to raise controversy or to even criticize it. Here the state officials do not make mistakes. If something is the political will of the state then it's also the right order of things and not to be questioned and many people actually believe that this is the right way to act. This crazy country has managed to get working people to vote for the parties that actually try to make things worse for them.

The law should be changed directly by the parliament, because it could not happen any other way in here. One way of getting rid of this silliness would be through the EU. If EU made it mandatory to abolish conscriptions then it could happen. Other possibility could be some kind of mysterious awakening of the collective consciousness. Alas I am not a metaphysic and do not even believe in the prospect of such things. People are so forcefully socialized to believe that countries are entities to die for and if you do not want to die for your country you are a bad you.

The brainwash mechanism taps right in to our evolutionary core, it attacks our "self" our subjective feeling of well-being. No animal wants to feel bad, because then something in "you" is wrong; perhaps a disease and it threatens one's existence. By attributing the selfhood of a person to be bad is an effective way of creating anxiety. Anxiety drives us to find something that makes it stop, makes us feel safe - being a good Finn guarantees that you are safe and can propagate your genes.

Finnish women have the choice of joining to the military service or not. Finnish men don't. What do you think about this? Will they be/are Finnish men also fighting to abolish this difference?

There are several people fighting to change this particular detail. But as stated earlier, Finns are not the kind of people who would actually want a change in the "natural" order of things ("women make babies so men must protect them"). Conservativeness is deeply enmeshed within the minds of the masses. It's hard to get people organized and to do the lobbying or to change the attitudinal climate. Many marketing mechanisms depend on the sex role stereotypes and every time there are commercials that show a proper way to be a woman or a man, the military is also given a boost as a side effect.

How do you wish that Finnish military service law will be when it's your kid's turn, when they are young adults?

I hope the nation states are being abolished and EU turns into a federate. If I am (un)lucky(?) to have a child or a few I hope they will not live in Finland if Finland still has these Stone Age laws and disregard of human rights. Finns as a collective should be ashamed of their self and yet they are not, the national pride is imprinted hard in the minds of the young early on. It’s wrong to put oneself in a position that makes the Finnish State do evil things.

COs are the ones to be blamed for, not the Human Rights violators. That is the mentality here. In a science barometer for the year 2007 there is an interesting measurement of the people’s trust in science. Finns trust the official authorities more than they do trust science. Police and the military are two of the most trusted institutions in Finland. I really think that is sad.

Can you do a final appeal?

I am not sure. Legal advice is hard to get in prison. All I can hope for is that people who read this try to write to the Finnish Minister of Justice (Tuija Brax) and the President (Tarja Halonen).

You can do just that here:

Tuija Brax, Finnish Minister of Justice:
tuija.brax@eduskunta.fi

President Tarja Halonen:
presidentti@tpk.fi