Parliamentary Ombudsman to conduct inquiry into treatment of Georgian women

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The Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland, Riitta-Leena Paunio, is to investigate the treatment of the Georgian women who were refused entry into the country in mid-March. Both the Finland-Georgia Society and the Finnish Frontier Guard have asked for an inquiry into the matter.
      The Ombudsman will investigate the allegations that the group of women would have been treated improperly, but the legality of the refusal of entry will be decided by the Kouvola Administrative Court.
     
The Finland-Georgia Society submitted a complaint to the Ombudsman, asking her to investigate whether Finnish officers behaved in a proper manner while interviewing the group of 48 Georgian women immediately after they were stopped. According to the women, they were labelled as prostitutes already before they were intercepted.
      The head of the Finnish Frontier Guard, Jaakko Smolander, has also asked the Ombudsman to look into the actions of the Frontier Guard officials in the case of the Georgian women. Various accusations have been made about the course of events, but the officials insist that they do not recognise themselves in the allegations.
      A group of 48 Georgian women was stopped at the Vaalimaa border crossing three weeks ago, as border officials noted that their tour fitted the profile of suspected human smuggling suggested by Greek authorities in November last year.
     
The women themselves were not suspected of any crime, and they were treated as possible victims of trafficking in humans. However, two of the men who accompanied them on their chartered bus were interrogated on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking. The group was flown back to their home country a week later.
      Last week Ombudsman Paunio gave a brief account on the refusal of entry to the Georgian Ombudsman. The details of the more detailed investigation that is now to be launched will be given later.
      The legality of the refusal of entry to the Georgian women will be decided by the Kouvola Administrative Court by the end of the current year.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish frontier guards deny all accusations of racism (4.4.2005)
  Suspicions of human trafficking stigmatise Georgian women (30.3.2005)
  Georgian women to be flown home - bus tour via Finland "fitted profile" of illegal immigration (21.3.2005)

Helsingin Sanomat