Finnish court upholds border zone restriction for Jehovah’s Witnesses

A Finnish administrative court has rejected an appeal by Jehovah’s Witnesses seeking permission to operate in the country’s restricted border zone, citing security concerns, Yle reports.

The Eastern Finland Administrative Court ruled that the Finnish Border Guard acted correctly in denying the religious group access to the three-kilometre-wide border area in Southeast Finland. The court found that increased movement in the zone would create additional surveillance tasks for border authorities and risk disrupting border security.

Jehovah’s Witnesses had applied for a permit to conduct door-to-door preaching and offer free Bible courses to residents in the border area, arguing that their activities fell under acceptable reasons for entry as defined by Finnish border law.

“We have conducted this work peacefully and responsibly in the border zone, complying with Finnish law and respecting local residents and border officials,” said Henri Järnstedt, a spokesperson for the group.

The Border Guard maintains that permits are only granted if they do not compromise border order or security. The court noted that the decision was consistent with how other similar permit applications have been handled.

The ruling is not yet legally binding and may be appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court. Jehovah’s Witnesses, who number around 15,500 in Finland according to Statistics Finland, are currently reviewing their options.