The Finnish section of Amnesty International feels that Finnish leaders should be more outspoken on the human rights situation in China. Frank Johansson, the executive director of Finnish Amnesty, notes that Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has issued statements that are much stronger than those coming out of Finland.
Johansson emphasised that Amnesty has nothing against the fact that Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) and President Tarja Halonen are to attend the Beijing Olympics, as long as critical discussions are held.
“The fact that there has been complete silence in the preceding six months, without any public statements that Finland would have endorsed on the EU level, for instance, is certainly a disappointment to us”, Johansson says.
