Web operator: Chechen web pages were not illegal

Minister Tuomioja would allow legal opinion outlet for Chechens

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The controversial Kavkaz Center Chechen rebels' Internet pages (see links) were in accordance with Finnish legislation and should therefore be allowed to be re-opened even on a server in Finland, argues Mikael Storsjö, who operated the web site.
      Storsjö believes that sooner or later the site will be re-opened, if not out of Finland, then from somewhere else.
      Storsjö's server hosted the Chechen site for a couple of days, after which he closed it down voluntarily, though having also received encouragement to do so from the Finnish Security Police (SUPO).
     
Storsjö denies the information given in an earlier article in the Swedish-language Helsinki daily Hufvudstadsbladet, according to which he would consider re-opening the Chechen website under the notion that the Finnish government would have given the idea the green light through the medium of Minister for Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja (SDP).
      Storsjö says Tuomioja had made it clear that it would be good for the Chechens to have an opinion channel through which to broadcast their views, as long as the content of the messages did not contravene Finnish laws.
     
Tuomioja repeated his view on Tuesday at a Social Democratic Party council meeting in Kauniainen. "I agree that those Chechens who oppose the use of terrorism should have a way of expressing their views", Tuomioja explained.
      At the same time, Tuomioja emphasised that the assessment of the website and its content was not his business. "I want to point out that in Lithuania the very same website was closed down for judicial reasons after a judicial process."
     
In Storsjö's view it would be a good idea to re-launch the pages for some time for people to access them freely to see what they are all about.
      The Chechen rebels' website had articles in Russian, Turkish, and English. According to Storsjö, who read the English pages, there were for example no death threats to President Vladimir Putin or anything similar.
      Storsjö also points out that in their investigations neither TeliaSonera Finland nor SUPO found anything illegal on the site.
      "Moscow's reaction, which arises from their negative attitude towards Chechens in general, may well have been the only reason for the closure of the web site", Storsjö concludes.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish host of Chechen rebel website: Security Police did not shut it down (19.10.2004)
  Russian call to Finland to block Chechen rebel web pages comes after proprietor has already shut down (12.10.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat