86 face trial over Smash ASEM riot

print this

The court proceedings regarding last autumn’s Smash ASEM riot promise to be exceptionally massive, given the fact that no fewer than 86 people will be prosecuted. The majority of those facing charges deny having committed any crime.
     
The trial in the Helsinki District Court looks likely to commence in the autumn.
      Presently, the Court is hunting for a suitable location for the unusually large trial. "Certainly, the Helsinki Court House has spaces large enough to accommodate all of the accused. However, these spaces are not actual courtrooms", district prosecutor Harri Ilander explains.
      Ilander estimates that the court proceedings will last for several weeks.
      "The length of the process depends, for example, on how many of the accused will be subpoenaed to be present in court."
      At least 78 of them are likely to be asked to attend the trial, as they have denied the allegations brought against them.
      "Eight of the accused can be interpreted of having confessed, so their presence in court is not necessarily required", Ilander elaborates.
     
Those accused are primarily young people, although only four of them were under the age of 18 during the time of the demonstration. Among the accused are also MP and Helsinki councilman Paavo Arhinmäki (Left Alliance) and a photographer from the Suomen Kuvalehti weekly.
      The photographer was present at the demonstration in the capacity of doing his job.
      For 24 of the accused, prosecutor Ilander is calling for the minimum of a four-month suspended sentence for violent rioting and violent resisting of a public official. The rest of those facing charges, such as Arhinmäki and the Suomen Kuvalehti photographer, Ilander would impose fines against.
      Further charges will be presented for inconveniencing a public servant, illegal disguise, and resisting a police officer. One demonstrator, who had a pepper spray in his possession, will be charged for a firearm offence.
      Also the police suspected 86 individuals of having committed crimes in connection with the Smash ASEM riot. In each case the threshold was reached to bring charges against the individual. The incident in September of last year has prompted counter-accusations of excessive use of force and criminal acts by the police who went in to break up the demonstration.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Some police officers suspected of crimes committed during Smash Asem demonstration still unidentified (8.5.2007)
  Articles on ASEM in Helsinki, September 2006

Helsingin Sanomat