Finland’s Supreme Court rejects appeal in Helsingin Sanomat case

Finland’s Supreme Court has refused to grant leave to appeal in a case involving Helsingin Sanomat journalists, the newspaper reported on Tuesday. The acquittal of three Helsingin Sanomat reporters on charges related to a 2021 article about a police officer’s relationship with a sexual assault victim will therefore stand.

The article, titled Virkamerkin varjossa (In the Shadow of the Badge), described how a police officer had begun a relationship with a man who had been the subject of a sexual assault investigation she was handling. Prosecutors had sought convictions for aggravated defamation, serious violation of privacy, and editorial offences.

A district court dismissed all charges in November 2024. The Court of Appeal refused to reconsider the case, and the Supreme Court confirmed earlier this month that it would not grant an appeal.