Estonian convicts appeal to human rights court over prison transfers
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Estonian citizens convicted of crimes in Finland and transferred to Estonia to serve out their sentences are appealing to the European Court of Human Rights. The convicts say that their time of imprisonment in Estonia is significantly longer than what they would have to serve in a Finnish prison.
In Finland convicts are generally paroled after serving half of their sentences. In Estonia, prisoners are eligible for parole after serving two thirds of their prison terms, and parole is not automatically granted, as it is in Finland.
Finland has transferred a total of Estonian 15 convicts to their home country. Most of them had been sentenced to long terms for drug-related offences.
In one case, an Estonian convict transferred to Estonia from Finland is still in prison there, although he would have been eligible for parole in Finland in November 2005, nearly a year and a half ago. Another Estonian who has appealed his continued incarceration has served a year more than he would have if he had been in Finland.
A few years ago the European Court of Human Rights handed down a decision, according to which prisoner transfers and longer prison time do not, as such, violate a convict's rights. However, the decision stipulated that a blatant extension of a prison term could be seen as a violation of human rights.
If the convicts in question win their case, they could be eligible for considerable compensation from both Finland and Estonia.
However, officials at the Finnish Ministry of Justice are confident that the court will not rule against Finland in the matter.
Helsingin Sanomat
