Over 100 gravestones toppled at Joutseno cemetery in Lappeenranta

Lappeenranta police are investigating after more than 100 gravestones were knocked over at the Joutseno cemetery in a two-night spate of vandalism.

The incidents occurred on the night of 21–22 July and again the following night, according to Lappeenranta Parish Union, which filed a criminal report after the first wave of damage.

Seventy-four stones were toppled on the first night and a further 108 the second, along with temporary grave markers and memorial items, the parish said. Staff began restoring the site on Wednesday afternoon, but repairs are expected to take several days.

Joutseno cemetery superintendent Liisa Tiimo called the damage “exceptionally extensive and distressing.” She said the parish had contacted police, who visited the site on Wednesday morning.

Grave desecration is a breach of burial peace punishable by fines or up to one year in prison. Tiimo said individual families remain responsible for filing complaints for damage to their relatives’ gravestones.

Surveillance cameras cover parts of the cemetery, but the large area makes full coverage difficult. Tiimo said she was not aware of any footage capturing the perpetrators.

Vandalism at the same cemetery in 2023 and 2024 prompted the parish to increase monitoring.