Vantaa suspends convicted rapper from city duties

Vantaa City Council has suspended rapper Milad Dehghan from all his public positions until the ruling against him becomes legally final, Yle reported.

Dehghan, who performs as Slim Mill, is a deputy city councillor and a member of the city’s Culture and Wellbeing Committee. He was not at the council meeting, which proceeded calmly.

Security guards were present after Dehghan said on his podcast before the meeting that he hoped a crowd would turn up and shout if the decision went against him. Finns Party councillor Juha Suoniemi spoke in Dehghan’s defence and proposed rejecting the suspension, but the motion received no support.

Last year, the Helsinki District Court sentenced Dehghan to seven months’ suspended imprisonment for aggravated dissemination of information violating private life and aggravated defamation. The case concerned comments he made on the Leveli podcast, where he and rapper Milan Jaff disclosed the identity of a rape victim. They also discussed confidential health information about another person believed to be a victim.

Jaff was also accused in connection with those acts and was convicted of one rape. Dehghan and Jaff were jointly ordered to pay 7,000 euros in compensation to each of the two complainants.

The Helsinki Court of Appeal found no grounds to question the District Court’s ruling, which remains in force. However, the appeal decision is not yet legally final because Dehghan can still apply to the Supreme Court for leave to appeal.

Tags: Vantaa, courts, Milad Dehghan