Finland faces surge in Turkish extradition requests over political dissidents

Finland has received an unusually high number of extradition requests from Turkey, primarily targeting political dissidents and critics of the Turkish government, according to documents obtained by Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

The requests, which totalled 12 last year—up from seven in the previous year—are largely based on allegations of terrorism, but Finnish authorities have rejected nearly all of them due to weak evidence or because the alleged acts do not constitute crimes under Finnish law.

Toni Alaranta, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, suggests the increase may be linked to Finland’s NATO membership bid in 2022, during which Finland and Sweden pledged to strengthen counterterrorism cooperation with Turkey.

“Witch hunt” targeting ordinary citizens
Turkey’s requests frequently concern individuals associated with the Gülen movement, which Ankara accuses of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup. However, the EU and UK have not recognised the movement as a terrorist organisation.

In some cases, evidence cited by Turkey has included minor actions such as holding an account at a specific bank, using a particular messaging app, or subscribing to a newspaper—grounds on which individuals have been convicted in Turkey. Finland has also rejected a request to extradite a man who insulted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan online, as such an offence would carry only a fine in Finland.

Alaranta describes Turkey’s approach as a “political witch hunt”, often targeting ordinary citizens and government critics with no proven ties to the Gülen movement.

Finland’s strict extradition criteria
Finland only grants extradition if the alleged crime is recognised under Finnish law and carries a significant penalty. Of the 15 extradition requests received from various countries last year, Finland approved only one—a Uruguayan national wanted for sexual offences against a minor.

Other rejected cases included:
– A man accused of membership in the PKK (designated a terrorist group by the EU), due to risk of persecution in Turkey.
– An Iranian national convicted of manslaughter in Finland, as the case had already been adjudicated domestically.
– A Kosovar suspect in human smuggling, after Finnish authorities found no evidence of illegal activity.