Finnish military lawyer charged with treason over restricted photograph

A Finnish Defence Forces legal officer has been formally charged with revealing state secrets after allegedly photographing a prohibited subject in a restricted area and sharing the image via WhatsApp, public broadcaster Yle reports.

The prosecution accuses the military lawyer of taking the photograph in autumn 2024 at a location where photography was explicitly banned, then distributing it to two acquaintances through the encrypted messaging app. The charge—filed in May but not yet scheduled for trial in Helsinki District Court—carries a potential prison sentence of four months to four years under Finnish law, which classifies unauthorised disclosure of information critical to national security as treason.

Defence Forces documents confirm the officer received a written warning in December 2024 for photographing in the restricted zone. It was not until February of this year, following a police notification, that authorities learned the same image had been shared digitally. A Defence Forces statement described the unauthorised distribution as a “more serious security breach” than the initial act of photography.

In a March explanation to his employers, the lawyer acknowledged sending the photograph to two contacts via WhatsApp but argued the platform’s end-to-end encryption distinguished it from public social media. He maintained he had voluntarily reported the incident once the investigation began and noted his work had continued normally after the December warning, seeing no grounds for suspension. The Defence Forces nevertheless removed him from duty pending a final legal ruling.

Finnish law defines treason in security cases as the unauthorised acquisition, publication, transfer, or disclosure of information classified for external security reasons. Yle first reported the investigation in April 2025.