Since joining Nato, Finland has continued to reject extradition requests from Turkey.
Turkey has submitted six extradition requests to Finland since the country joined Nato in April 2023. Of these, four have been processed and rejected by the Finnish Ministry of Justice. The details were obtained by Yle through a public information request.
During its Nato accession process, Finland committed to supporting Turkey in addressing its terrorism threats. In a document signed in summer 2022, Finland and Sweden pledged to swiftly handle Turkey’s extradition requests related to terrorism.
In April of 2023, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the Turkish Parliament’s support for Finland’s Nato accession bid. Shortly afterwards, Finland became a Nato member.
However, based on publicly available information, it appears that Finland’s approach to Turkey’s extradition requests has not significantly changed.
Six extradition requests since 2023
One of the extradition requests was related to a Turkish national residing in Finland. The individual is accused of defaming Erdogan on social media. Finland denied the request.
Under Erdogan’s rule, thousands of people have faced charges for defaming the Turkish president, a crime that can carry a prison sentence of up to four years. The country has previously made similar attempts to defend the honour of its president through legal means in Finland.
One of the requests involved a businessman suspected of being a member of and financing the Gulen movement, which Turkey designates as a terrorist organisation. Turkey holds the movement responsible for the failed coup attempt in 2016. Fethullah Gulen, the movement’s US-based leader, died on Sunday.
Another request, also related to terrorism, called for the extradition of a man accused of belonging to a terrorist group in Turkey’s southeastern Kurdish region. Finland rejected this request as well. A fourth request, involving an individual suspected of a violent crime, was similarly dismissed.
Two further requests related to terrorism are still under consideration.
Turkey monitoring its citizens in Finland
According to information obtained by Yle, it also appears that Turkey is monitoring some of its nationals in Finland. Documents seen by Yle from a Turkish court reference a report from the Turkish Embassy in Helsinki, which includes observations of a Turkish man living in the Nordic country.
The man was accused of participating in activities linked to the Gulen movement. However, as he holds Finnish citizenship, he cannot be extradited to Turkey.
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