Helsinki demands release of abducted Finn in Kabul

A video related to a reported abduction of a Finnish woman on May 20 in Afghanistan has been released on the social media.

The video claims the Finnish national was kidnapped during a raid in Kabul where a German aid worker and an Afghan guard were killed.

Meanwhile, an official press release on Monday said the Finnish government demands immediate release of the Finnish woman. “We condemn the kidnapping as well as all blackmail and cruelty associated with it. We demand an immediate release of the kidnapped,” Foreign Minister Timo Soini said in a statement.

The Finnish authorities requested that no material related to the kidnapping be disseminated, because all publicity endangers the life of the kidnapped and complicates efforts to free her.

According to the press release, the authorities are making every effort to ensure a safe release of the abducted. The safety and privacy of the abducted as well as the success of the efforts to free her demand that no details of the case be published. This applies both to persons, events and the authorities’ investigations into the matter.

The family of the abducted woman also wishes privacy, the release said, adding that communications on the abduction case are being handled by the foreign ministry.

The victim in the video clip is shown to request help from the Christian community, reported the national broadcaster Yle. She spoke in English, saying that she had come to Kabul five months ago to work with a Christian organisation, before she was kidnapped two months ago. She also requested that Christians send ransom to the abductors to ensure her safe release.

The aid organisation Operation Mercy, however, did not immediately confirm to Yle whether the woman shown in the video is their employee. The victim had worked for the Swedish organisation in Kabul, said the Yle report.