Court overturns objector's jail on basis of equality

A high court has ruled that no one can be sentenced for refusing to serve in the military, overturning the sentence handed by a lower court to a conscientious objector, national news agency STT reported on Friday.

The court repealed the sentence of half a year given by a lower court verdict last February to a young citizen for his refusal to national service. The man had given "serious conscientious objections" as the reason.

In Finland, either a military or civilian national service is compulsory to all males, unless disqualified for medical reasons. A 176-day prison sentence is mandatory if one refuses to serve.

The only exception is that members of religious group "Jehovah's Witnesses", who are exempted from the national service, according to a law amendment that took effect in 1987, local media reported.

STT reported on Friday that the Helsinki court of appeals had determined by a 4-3 vote that "all convictions must be equal" and therefore special pardon for members of "Jehovah's Witnesses" makes any sentence on basis of other conscientious grounds unlawful.

Kirsi Pimiä, the Finnish national equality ombudsman, told STT on Friday the cabinet should now take steps to review the legislation.

The Finnish association of conscientious objectors, an interest organization promoting the rights of people uneasy with national service, put the number of total refusers in Finland in recent years as 30 to 35 per year.