Finland rejects Turkey’s extradition requests following NATO membership

Since joining NATO, Finland has rejected Turkey’s extradition requests, including one involving a Turkish citizen accused by Turkey of insulting its president on social media. Finland dismissed this request, consistent with its stance on such matters. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration, thousands have faced charges for defaming the president, with potential sentences of up to four years in prison. Turkey has previously sought legal routes to defend its president’s honor in Finland as well.

After Finland joined NATO in April 2022, Turkey sent six extradition requests, four of which have been processed and rejected by the Ministry of Justice. The decision regarding the request linked to defamation was made directly by the ministry, while grounds for dismissals in other cases were based on opinions from the Supreme Court. One rejected request involved a businessman suspected of ties to the Gülen movement, designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, which claims that Gülen was involved in the failed coup attempt in 2016.

Another request pertained to a man accused of terrorism-related activities in southeastern Turkey, which Finland also turned down. Processing of two additional terrorism-related requests is still underway.

Additionally, it appears Turkey is monitoring some Turkish residents in Finland, as indicated by a Turkish court document that references a report from the Turkish embassy in Helsinki about a Turkish citizen accused of involvement with the Gülen movement. As a Finnish citizen, this person cannot be extradited.

Throughout the NATO process, Finland committed to supporting Turkey against threats of terrorism. Finland and Sweden also agreed in a document signed in summer 2022 to handle Turkey’s terrorism-related extradition requests swiftly. However, it seems Finland’s approach toward Turkey’s extradition demands has not significantly changed.