Anton incident
Encyclopedia
Anton Salonen is a child with Russian-Finnish dual citizenship involved in an international child custody
dispute between his parents. The Finnish-born child was first abducted
by his Estonian Russian mother in 2008 and taken to Russia. In turn the boy was abducted by his father in 2009 and smuggled back to Finland with the help of Finnish diplomats stationed at the Finnish consulate in Saint Petersburg. The incident has sparked a diplomatic row between Finland
and Russia
. The Finnish diplomat who helped to abduct the child was dismissed from the Finnish Consulate and Russia has declared him persona non grata
. Anton has an older, 19 year-old brother from a previous marriage of mother, who she left in Finland.
, Estonia
in 1994 and married in 1997. The pair filed for legal divorce in 2002, which came into effect on January 13, 2003, but continued to live together until 2005. Anton was born out of wedlock on October 3, 2003.
At birth Anton was legally entitled to Russian citizenship, but the citizenship was never registered. He was registered as a Finnish citizen after the Finnish father's paternity had been established. His mother gained Finnish citizenship via naturalisation after the birth. After the divorce the parents had joint custody
.
application. The name of the father is presumed have been forged on the application.
The 65 year old father blames a religious organization near the Russian Orthodox Church
in Finland for the abduction, calling the Memorial Society of Saint Seraphim of Sarov
a sect
. The lower court in Tampere
ordered that the mother be detained on suspicion of child abduction
. The order is only effective inside the European Union
. Russia is not a signatory of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
. The court also gave sole custody of the child to the father. In Russia Anton was granted Russian citizenship based on information provided by the mother. According to Uusi Suomi this sort of citizenships are normally granted in months, not in days.
After locating the child and mother in Balakhna
near Nizhny Novgorod
the father initiated legal proceedings in Russia to regain custody and revoke the Russian citizenship. On November 20, 2008 the Balakhna City Court revoked Anton's Russian citizenship because his mother had presented false information for registration of citizenship. On 17 March 2009, the judicial board on civil cases of the Nizhny Novgorod regional court upheld the decision. After the decision, the father came to Russia to take Anton back to Finland.
.
The Russian authorities allegedly ignored the earlier Russian court decision and Anton's Russian citizenship was expeditiously re-instated on May 7. One day later, on May 8 Anton was smuggled to Finland in the closed trunk
of a diplomatic car by the legal consul at the Saint Petersburg consulate, Simo Pietiläinen.
causing a diplomatic incident. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
called his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb
to protest and to demand an explanation. This was followed by a formal complaint. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Finland of a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
, which states that diplomats should strictly observe the laws of the host country. The formal complaint was followed by a formal diplomatic note on May 20. Diplomat Pietiläinen, who helped to take Anton out of Russia was dismissed from the Finnish Consulate in St. Petersburg after the incident. Russia has declared Pietiläinen persona non grata
.
The developments in St. Petersburg were closely followed by the Finnish leadership, including president Tarja Halonen
, who has condemned the behaviour of Simo Pietiläinen The actions of the Finnish diplomat involved have been defended by Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb
, whilst Tarja Halonen has condemned the actions of the diplomat. President Halonen, prime minister Matti Vanhanen
and foreign minister Stubb have all denied having forehand knowledge of the smuggling plan or the involvement of Finnish diplomats in it.
. The Russian media have speculated thet the incident will have a negative effect on Finland–Russia relations
. The case has also been compared to that of Eliza André.
The Investigation Committee of the Russian Prosecutor’s office has launched criminal proceedings against the father on suspicion of "pre-meditated kidnapping
of a person by an organized group" under article 126 of the Russian Criminal Code
. In Finland both the father and the diplomat are investigated on suspicion of border offence.
. A Finnish court considered the case of Anton's mother, and let her free to wait for a trial. However she was ordered travel ban for the next 60 days. The Russian media has been interested in case and spread different rumours and speculation
s. Johan Bäckman
claimed that a Finnish police promised not to arrest Anton's mother, and furthermore the mother was allegedly arrested in Estonia
's capital Tallinn
. Bäckman was presented as one of the aids or lawyer of Rimma Salonen, while the trial lawyer is Heikki Lampela in Finland and Dmitry Glazov in Russia. Finnish media has reported some claims as a matter of wondering.
The incident has been a top news in television news of Russia. The main villains have been Anton's Finnish father and the Finnish diplomat Simo Pietiläinen. Johan Bäckman has been a central role of as commentator of the incident in Russia and Finland. His comment and speculations have been published as such, without checkup, in many Russian media, such as in Ria Novosti. Later Bäckman apologized his behaviour during the incident.
The Russian foreign ministry has given negative comments, and implied the negative effect of the incident to mutual relations between Russia and Finland.
According to the Finnish expert of Russia Ilmari Susiluoto
the case of Anton is a part of the Kremlin public relations campaign. The Finns have too positive image in Russia, and this does not fit the Kremlin's idea of the "hostile outside world".
Rimma Salonen was judged to 1,5-year suspended sentence
for kidnapping
and child abduction
on 13 October 2009 in käräjäoikeus (lower court). She also had to pay 20,000 euros for emotional distress to her son and almost 4,800 euros to Paavo Salonen. Next year, hovioikeus (upper court) upheld a suspended prison sentence handed down to Rimma Salonen. However, the court did lower damages payable to Anton Salonen from 20,000 to 10,000 euros. The court also ordered her to pay 7,500 euros in legal fees for Anton and Paavo Salonen.
accused that Finnish authorities had denied Anton to speak Russian. Astakhov also referred to statements of Johan Bäckman
that Finnish authorities had also banned Anton to pray, be baptized and to wear crosses. Russian newspaper reported these claims and referred to Anton's mother and Bäckman of Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee
.
In March 2011, Rimma Salonen announced she is a candidate for the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election
on the Workers Party of Finland
list. She also represented the organization of Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee
. Salonen got 16 votes.
Russia joined the Hague Abduction Convention on October 1, 2011.
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
dispute between his parents. The Finnish-born child was first abducted
Child abduction
Child abduction or Child theft is the unauthorized removal of a minor from the custody of the child's natural or legally appointed guardians....
by his Estonian Russian mother in 2008 and taken to Russia. In turn the boy was abducted by his father in 2009 and smuggled back to Finland with the help of Finnish diplomats stationed at the Finnish consulate in Saint Petersburg. The incident has sparked a diplomatic row between Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. The Finnish diplomat who helped to abduct the child was dismissed from the Finnish Consulate and Russia has declared him persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
. Anton has an older, 19 year-old brother from a previous marriage of mother, who she left in Finland.
Background
Anton's Finnish father and Russian Estonian mother met in TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
in 1994 and married in 1997. The pair filed for legal divorce in 2002, which came into effect on January 13, 2003, but continued to live together until 2005. Anton was born out of wedlock on October 3, 2003.
At birth Anton was legally entitled to Russian citizenship, but the citizenship was never registered. He was registered as a Finnish citizen after the Finnish father's paternity had been established. His mother gained Finnish citizenship via naturalisation after the birth. After the divorce the parents had joint custody
Joint custody
Joint custody is a court order whereby custody of a child is awarded to both parties. In joint custody both parents are custodial parents and neither parent is a non-custodial parent, or, in other words, the child has two custodial parents. In the United States, many states recognize two forms of...
.
Abduction by mother to Russia
Anton's mother left Finland with Anton 2008 without the consent of the father on March 5, 2008. The Russian Embassy in Finland assisted the mother with the Russian visaVisa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
application. The name of the father is presumed have been forged on the application.
The 65 year old father blames a religious organization near the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
in Finland for the abduction, calling the Memorial Society of Saint Seraphim of Sarov
Seraphim of Sarov
Saint Seraphim of Sarov , born Prokhor Moshnin , is one of the most renowned Russian monks and mystics in the Orthodox Church. He is generally considered the greatest of the 19th century startsy and, arguably, the first...
a sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
. The lower court in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
ordered that the mother be detained on suspicion of child abduction
Child abduction
Child abduction or Child theft is the unauthorized removal of a minor from the custody of the child's natural or legally appointed guardians....
. The order is only effective inside the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. Russia is not a signatory of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, or Hague Abduction Convention is a multilateral treaty developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law that provides an expeditious method to return a child internationally abducted from one member nation to...
. The court also gave sole custody of the child to the father. In Russia Anton was granted Russian citizenship based on information provided by the mother. According to Uusi Suomi this sort of citizenships are normally granted in months, not in days.
After locating the child and mother in Balakhna
Balakhna
Balakhna is a town and the administrative center of Balakhninsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River, north of Nizhny Novgorod. Population: 33,500 .-Overview:...
near Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...
the father initiated legal proceedings in Russia to regain custody and revoke the Russian citizenship. On November 20, 2008 the Balakhna City Court revoked Anton's Russian citizenship because his mother had presented false information for registration of citizenship. On 17 March 2009, the judicial board on civil cases of the Nizhny Novgorod regional court upheld the decision. After the decision, the father came to Russia to take Anton back to Finland.
Abduction by father
Russian online newspaper Grani.ru claimed, that in April 2009 Anton was forcibly taken from his mother by his father outside her home on Ryazanova street. The press service of Russia's Investigation Committee alleges that on April 12, 2009 the father, acting in conspiracy with persons unknown, attacked the mother and retrieved Anton. After allegedly being prevented from leaving Russia, the father and son took refuge at a vacant apartment of the Finnish Consulate-General in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
The Russian authorities allegedly ignored the earlier Russian court decision and Anton's Russian citizenship was expeditiously re-instated on May 7. One day later, on May 8 Anton was smuggled to Finland in the closed trunk
Trunk (automobile)
The trunk or boot of an automobile or car is the vehicle's main storage, luggage, or cargo compartment. Trunk is used in North American English and Jamaican English; boot is used elsewhere in the English speaking world. Trunk is also primarily used in many non-English speaking regions, such as...
of a diplomatic car by the legal consul at the Saint Petersburg consulate, Simo Pietiläinen.
Diplomatic incident
The story was revealed on May 14 by the Finnish scandal paper 7 päivää7 päivää
7 päivää is a Finnish entertainment and TV magazine published by Aller Julkaisut Oy in Helsinki. In 2005 it had a circulation of 264,067. It was first published in 1992.-Columns and subjects:...
causing a diplomatic incident. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Lavrov
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov is the Foreign Minister of Russia. Prior to that, Lavrov was a Soviet diplomat and Russia's ambassador to the United Nations from 1994 to 2004. Lavrov speaks Russian, English, French and Sinhala....
called his Finnish counterpart Alexander Stubb
Alexander Stubb
Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb is a Finnish politician and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 4 April 2008 to 22 June 2011...
to protest and to demand an explanation. This was followed by a formal complaint. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Finland of a blatant violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. It specifies the privileges of a diplomatic mission that enable diplomats to perform their function without fear of coercion or...
, which states that diplomats should strictly observe the laws of the host country. The formal complaint was followed by a formal diplomatic note on May 20. Diplomat Pietiläinen, who helped to take Anton out of Russia was dismissed from the Finnish Consulate in St. Petersburg after the incident. Russia has declared Pietiläinen persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
.
The developments in St. Petersburg were closely followed by the Finnish leadership, including president Tarja Halonen
Tarja Halonen
Tarja Kaarina Halonen is the incumbent President of Finland. The first female to hold the office, Halonen had previously been a member of the parliament from 1979 to 2000 when she resigned after her election to the presidency...
, who has condemned the behaviour of Simo Pietiläinen The actions of the Finnish diplomat involved have been defended by Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb
Alexander Stubb
Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb is a Finnish politician and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 4 April 2008 to 22 June 2011...
, whilst Tarja Halonen has condemned the actions of the diplomat. President Halonen, prime minister Matti Vanhanen
Matti Vanhanen
Matti Taneli Vanhanen is a Finnish politician. He is a former Prime Minister of Finland and a former Chairman of the Centre Party. In the second half of 2006 he was President of the European Council. In his earlier career he was a journalist...
and foreign minister Stubb have all denied having forehand knowledge of the smuggling plan or the involvement of Finnish diplomats in it.
Reactions
The incident has been widely covered in Finnish and Russian media in what some commentators have described as a media warInformation warfare
The term Information Warfare is primarily an American concept involving the use and management of information technology in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent...
. The Russian media have speculated thet the incident will have a negative effect on Finland–Russia relations
Finland–Russia relations
Finland–Russia relations are peaceful. Finland imports a lot of goods and basic necessities, such as fuel, from Russia and the two nations agree on issues more then they disagree on them...
. The case has also been compared to that of Eliza André.
The Investigation Committee of the Russian Prosecutor’s office has launched criminal proceedings against the father on suspicion of "pre-meditated kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
of a person by an organized group" under article 126 of the Russian Criminal Code
Russian Criminal Code
The Russian Criminal Code is the prime source of Law of the Russian Federation concerning criminal offences. The previous Criminal Code of the Russian Federation came into force on 1 January 1997. Moreover, on the 8 January President Yeltsin signed the Criminal Correctional Code to regulate the...
. In Finland both the father and the diplomat are investigated on suspicion of border offence.
Trial of mother in Finland
Anton's mother returned to Finland on 1 August 2009. She was arrested at the airport in the TampereTampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
. A Finnish court considered the case of Anton's mother, and let her free to wait for a trial. However she was ordered travel ban for the next 60 days. The Russian media has been interested in case and spread different rumours and speculation
Speculation
In finance, speculation is a financial action that does not promise safety of the initial investment along with the return on the principal sum...
s. Johan Bäckman
Johan Bäckman
Erkki Johan Bäckman is a Finnish political author, legal sociologist and criminologist, holding an adjunct professorship in three Finnish universities....
claimed that a Finnish police promised not to arrest Anton's mother, and furthermore the mother was allegedly arrested in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
's capital Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. Bäckman was presented as one of the aids or lawyer of Rimma Salonen, while the trial lawyer is Heikki Lampela in Finland and Dmitry Glazov in Russia. Finnish media has reported some claims as a matter of wondering.
The incident has been a top news in television news of Russia. The main villains have been Anton's Finnish father and the Finnish diplomat Simo Pietiläinen. Johan Bäckman has been a central role of as commentator of the incident in Russia and Finland. His comment and speculations have been published as such, without checkup, in many Russian media, such as in Ria Novosti. Later Bäckman apologized his behaviour during the incident.
The Russian foreign ministry has given negative comments, and implied the negative effect of the incident to mutual relations between Russia and Finland.
According to the Finnish expert of Russia Ilmari Susiluoto
Ilmari Susiluoto
Ilmari Susiluoto is a Finnish political scientist, professor at the University of Helsinki, senior advisor at the Foreign Ministry of Finland since 1982, an expert in Russian and Soviet history, politics and society, an author of a number of books in this area.- Bibliography :* Jättiläinen...
the case of Anton is a part of the Kremlin public relations campaign. The Finns have too positive image in Russia, and this does not fit the Kremlin's idea of the "hostile outside world".
Rimma Salonen was judged to 1,5-year suspended sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
for kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and child abduction
Child abduction
Child abduction or Child theft is the unauthorized removal of a minor from the custody of the child's natural or legally appointed guardians....
on 13 October 2009 in käräjäoikeus (lower court). She also had to pay 20,000 euros for emotional distress to her son and almost 4,800 euros to Paavo Salonen. Next year, hovioikeus (upper court) upheld a suspended prison sentence handed down to Rimma Salonen. However, the court did lower damages payable to Anton Salonen from 20,000 to 10,000 euros. The court also ordered her to pay 7,500 euros in legal fees for Anton and Paavo Salonen.
Aftermath
In May 2010, Russian Child Rights Ombudsman Pavel AstakhovPavel Astakhov
Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov is a Russian statesman and lawyer, and became the Children Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation on 31 December 2009.-Education:...
accused that Finnish authorities had denied Anton to speak Russian. Astakhov also referred to statements of Johan Bäckman
Johan Bäckman
Erkki Johan Bäckman is a Finnish political author, legal sociologist and criminologist, holding an adjunct professorship in three Finnish universities....
that Finnish authorities had also banned Anton to pray, be baptized and to wear crosses. Russian newspaper reported these claims and referred to Anton's mother and Bäckman of Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee
Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee
The Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee , also known by its Finnish abbreviation SAFKA, is a radical political organisation operating in Finland, founded in November 2008, but never registered...
.
In March 2011, Rimma Salonen announced she is a candidate for the 2011 Finnish parliamentary election
Finnish parliamentary election, 2011
An election to the Eduskunta was held on 17 April 2011 after the termination of the previous parliamentary term. Advance voting, which included voting by Finnish expatriates, was held between 6 and 12 April with a turnout of 31.2%....
on the Workers Party of Finland
Workers Party of Finland
Workers' Party of Finland is a left-wing political party in Finland. The STP was founded in 2006 as a successor to the Alternative League .In the 2007 parliamentary election the party obtained 1,764 votes...
list. She also represented the organization of Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee
Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee
The Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee , also known by its Finnish abbreviation SAFKA, is a radical political organisation operating in Finland, founded in November 2008, but never registered...
. Salonen got 16 votes.
Russia joined the Hague Abduction Convention on October 1, 2011.
Russian
- Пятилетний мальчик может поссорить Москву и Хельсинки
- СКП РФ возбудил дело против финна, похитившего Антона Салонена
- Спор родителей Антона Салонена нанесет ущерб российско-финляндским отношениям, считает глава МИД Финляндии
- Выкрасть ребенка финскому отцу помог вице-консул страны в Петербурге!
- "Похищенного" ребенка никто не похищал?
- Стало известно имя финского дипломата, вывезшего в багажнике русского мальчика