The case of Anton Salonen

The father of the boy Paavo Salonen (a Finnish citizen) and mother Rimma Salonen (a Russian from Estonia ) met in 1994 in Tallinn ( Estonia ) and got married in 1997. In 2002, the couple legally filed for divorce, which was filed on January 13, 2003, but the divorced spouses continued to live together until 2005. On October 3, 2003, when the parents were already divorced, their son Anton was born. ^{[1] [11]}

According to Finnish legislation, upon being born from a Russian mother, Anton had the right to obtain Russian citizenship, but at that time no citizenship was granted ^[1] , and the child received Finnish citizenship on the basis of recognition of the fact of paternity. Anton's mother received Finnish citizenship through naturalization after the birth of a child. ^[12] After the divorce, the parents had the right to joint custody of the child.

Taking the child to Russia

On March 5, 2008, Anton's mother took the child to Russia without obtaining formal permission from her father ^{[1] [13] [14]} (while Rimma’s eldest son remained in Finland). The Russian Embassy in Finland supported Rimma Salonen in obtaining a visa ^[15] , and it is assumed ^[16] that the data from the child’s father could have been forged.

Paavo Salonen, 65, the father of the child, accused the Russian Orthodox Church of being involved in the abduction of the child, ^{[17] [18]} , pointing to the Society Serafim Sarovsky ( fin. Serafim Sarovilaisen Muistoyhdistys ), in which Rimma Salonen consisted, as a sect operating in Finland ^[19] . The lower court of the city of Tampere issued a ruling on the arrest of Rimma Salonen on suspicion of kidnapping a child. This rule was valid only on the territory of the European Union , ^[20] since Russia had not ratified the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction at that time . The lower court of the city of Tampere also transferred the sole custody of the child to the father. ^[20]

In an interview with MTV3, Rimma Salonen said that she wanted, but did not dare to return to Finland, when she heard that she was accused of kidnapping a child. ^[21]

In Russia, Anton received Russian citizenship on the basis of data provided by the mother, despite the overdue deadlines for filing an application and only a few days after submitting the application, although on the basis of the Uusi Suomi newspaper data, obtaining Russian citizenship is usually according to the law of the Russian Federation calculated in months. ^[15]

Bringing a child to Finland

After the discovery of Rimma Salonen and her son in the town of Balakhna near Nizhny Novgorod , the father of the child initiated a trial in Russia with the aim of taking the mother into custody and liquidating the child’s Russian citizenship. ^[7] On November 20, 2008, the Balakhna court decided to liquidate the child’s Russian citizenship on the basis that incorrect information was provided by his mother. On March 17, 2009, the civil division of the Nizhny Novgorod Regional Court upheld this decision. ^{[1] [22]} After the court decision, the father of the child came to Russia to pick up his son in Finland.

The Russian online newspaper Grani.ru claims that on April 12, 2009, Anton was forcibly confiscated from his mother near their home on Ryazanov Street. ^[23] The press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia alleges that on April 12, 2009, the father, acting in collusion with unidentified persons, attacked the mother and seized the child. ^[24] . Although Russian law does not provide for the detention of foreign citizens, ^[ 14 ^] on April 14, 2009, on the Russian-Finnish border, father and son Salonen were stopped by Russian border guards. In one of the statements, Salonen claimed that he and the child were stopped at the border without any explanation, ^[26] however, the online publication Fontanka.ru , quoting Salonen’s interview to the Ilta Sanomat newspaper, claims that at that time they were expecting the arrival of an investigator from Vyborg, who had in her hands a statement from the mother of the child about the abduction of her son. ^{[27] [28]} According to Grani.ru, the father and son, before leaving Russia, lived in an apartment for employees of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg . ^[24]

After half a month, the Russian authorities annulled the decision of the Nizhny Novgorod court and by a decision of May 7, 2009, Russian citizenship was restored to Anton Salonen. ^[11] On May 8, 2009, Simo Pietiläinen, employee of the Finnish consulate in St. Petersburg ( fin. Simo Pietiläinen ) Anton Salonen, along with his father, whose visa had expired and was denied a new one, was taken to Finland in the closed trunk of a diplomatic car.

The current lawyer Simo Pietilinen, in his article to the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper dated October 31, 2012, justifies his actions three years ago by making efforts solely to protect the rights of the child under conditions when the Russian Foreign Ministry , acting on instructions from the FSB of Russia , prevented Russia Anton and his father. ^[29] According to Simo Pietilleinen, “the FSB's annoyance may have been due to the fact that they were opposed to them by their own methods: the KGB at one time took it out of Helsinki in the USSR in the trunk of a diplomatic car Stig Bergling , sentenced in Sweden for espionage in favor of the USSR " . ^[29] On December 28, 2012, the Court of Vantaa recognized the validity of Rimma Salonen's claims to the actions of Simo Pietilienen. ^[thirty]

On May 14, 2009, the story became public due to the publication in the Finnish newspaper for 7 days ^[31] and caused a diplomatic conflict between Russia and Finland. ^{[5] [6]} Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov contacted his counterpart in Finland, Alexander Stubb, and expressed his protest, demanding clarification. ^{[3] [32] [33] [34]} . ^[35]

This was followed by an official complaint from Russia, ^[5] in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation accused Finland of flagrant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations , under which diplomats must strictly abide by the laws of the host country. ^[34] Following the complaint on May 20, a formal diplomatic note followed. ^[36] Finnish diplomat Simo Pietilainen, who carried the child out of Russia, was dismissed from the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg ^[8] and declared persona non grata in Russia. ^[eight]

The incident turned out to be attracted by the President of Finland Tarja Halonen , ^[37] who did not support the actions of the Finnish diplomat ^[8] , while Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb spoke in support of the actions of Simo Petiilyanen ^[38] However, President Tarja Halonen , ^{[ 37]} Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen denied any involvement in the incident.

Conflict Reaction

The incident was widely and one-sidedly covered in the Russian media ^[39] and was sparingly commented in Finland (the law prohibits the disclosure of confidential information), some Finnish commentators assessed it as a media war. ^{[40] The} Russian-language media outlined the incident as a negative phenomenon in the Russian-Finnish (apparently state) relations. The case of Anton Salonen was compared with the case of Eliza André . ^{[33] [41] [42]}

The investigative committee of the Russian Prosecutor’s Office initiated a criminal case under article 126 of the Russian Criminal Code against father Anton Salonen on suspicion of “deliberately abducting a person by an organized group” . ^{[3] [43]}

Anton's mother, Rimma Salonen, returned to Finland on August 1, 2009 and was arrested at the airport in Tampere . ^{[9] The} Finnish court, having reviewed the case, decided to release the suspect, but took a written undertaking not to leave the house for 60 days. ^[44] Finnish human rights activist Johan Beckman criticized the actions of the Finnish authorities, who promised not to arrest Rimma Salonen. ^[9] Beckman also acted as one of the lawyers of the mother of Anton Salonen, ^[9] with the official lawyer Heikki Lampela in Finland ^[45] and Dmitry Glazov in Russia. Finnish media actively published claims of the charges of Rimma Salonen. ^[46]

The incident was among the most talked about on Russian television. Among the main culprits were the father of the child and the Finnish diplomat, and Johan Beckman appeared as the main expert. ^{[47] [48] [49]} Many of the information was not subjected to critical analysis in connection with which later Johan Beckman apologized. ^{[50] [51]}

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia gave negative comments and expressed that the incident complicated Russian-Finnish relations. ^[52]

In the opinion of the Finnish expert on Russia Ilmari Susiluoto, the case of Anton Salonen is part of the Kremlin’s propaganda company, which believes that Finland has a very positive image among Russians, which in turn does not fit into the overall concept of the “aggressive outside world” held by the Russian leadership. ^[53] The same opinion was expressed by a diplomat who participated in the removal of a child from Russia. ^[29]

On 13 October 2009, Rimma Salonen, the county lower court of Tampere, was found guilty of kidnapping a child and was given a suspended sentence of 1.5 years in prison, as well as a payment of 20,000 euros for moral damage caused to the child, and 4,800 euros for the material costs of ex- wife of Paavo Salonen. ^[54] On October 28, 2010, the High Court of First Instance in Turku confirmed the verdict of the lower court for probation, but reduced the payment of compensation for moral damage from 20 to 10 thousand euros. The court also ordered Rimma Salonen to pay 7,500 euros for legal fees for Anton and Paavo Salonen. ^[55]

Implications

Currently (2012) Anton lives with his father Paavo Salonen in Kokemäki .

On May 18, 2010, Pavel Astakhov , the Commissioner under the President of Russia for the Rights of the Child , is in possession of the documents of the social services of the city of Kokemäki, prohibiting Anton Salonen from speaking Russian with his mother, as well as information from Johan Beckman that the child is forbidden to pray, be baptized and wear cross, addressed to the President of Finland with a separate appeal. ^{[56] The} Russian media made statements in this connection with reference to the Anti-Fascist Committee of Finland . ^{[57] [58]}

In March 2011, Rimma Salonen announced her participation in the Parliamentary elections on the list of the Workers' Party and as a representative of the Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee . ^{[59] [60]} During the election, she gained 16 votes. ^[61]

On October 1, 2011, Russia joined the Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction . ^[62]

In January 2012, Rimma Salonen went on a hunger strike, going on a single picket to the Tampere court building, in protest at the deprivation of her guardianship over her son. ^[63]

On May 12, 2012, Rimma Salonen appealed the verdict of the Satakunta County Court to the court in the city of Vaasa . ^[64] On June 15, 2012, the decision of the court of second instance (the court court of the city of Vaasa), Anton Salonen, will continue to live with his father, who is recognized as the sole guardian of the child. ^[65] Anton's mother appealed the decision of the court court to the Supreme Court. ^{[66] The} Supreme Court in July 2013 denied Rimma Salonen her requirements, the child was left with her father ^[67] .

On October 16, 2014, the District Court of Vantaa sentenced ex-diplomat Simo Pietilienen, who secretly brought six years old Anton Salonen from Russia to Finland in the trunk of a diplomatic car, for abuse of authority. The fine amounted to ~ 4 thousand euros (the verdict can be challenged) ^[68] .

• Juvenile justice in Finland
• Juvenile justice in the Russian Federation

• Russian diplomat (May 15, 2009). The appeal date is May 18, 2009.
• A five-year-old boy can quarrel Moscow and Helsinki
• UPC RF filed a case against the Finn who abducted Anton Salonen
• The dispute between the parents of Anton Salonen will damage Russian-Finnish relations, the Finnish Foreign Minister believes
• The vice-consul of the country in St. Petersburg helped the child to steal the child to the Finnish father!
• Nobody kidnapped the kidnapped child?
• The name of the Finnish diplomat who brought a Russian boy in the trunk has become known.
• Heini Särkkä. Huoltajuusriidasta tuli ennennäkemätön selkkaus Suomen ja Venäjän välille - näin Paavo Salonen ja Anton-poika elävät nyt (Fin.) . Ilta-Sanomat (3. maaliskuuta 2017).