Seppo Lehto
Encyclopedia
Seppo Olavi Lehto is a Finnish
far right
activist currently living in Tampere
. The main theme of his activism is the return of Finnish territories
ceded to the Soviet Union
in World War II
. He also claims to lead several organizations.
Lehto has hosted a podcast called Patrioottiradio, and become well-known for creating numerous blogs to disparage politicians and members of racial, ethnic and religious minorities.
On 30 May 2008, the Tampere District Court sentenced Lehto to two years and four months imprisonment. Lehto was charged with nine counts of gross defamation, inciting ethnic hatred and religious blasphemy
against Islam
. The defamations included sexual slander towards the victims, claiming the victims to be guilty of fabricated crimes and writing disturbing material as if they were written by the victims (Identity theft
). Some blog entries were also inciting to violence against the victims. Over 40 blog sites were closed by the court's decision. Lehto had previously served a suspended sentence for defamation and was under probation, which means that his three-month sentence will become mandatory.
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...
far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
activist currently living 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...
. The main theme of his activism is the return of Finnish territories
Karelian question in Finnish politics
The Karelian question or Karelian issue is a dispute of Finnish politics over whether or not to try to regain sovereignty over the Finnish Karelia and other territories ceded to the Soviet Union in the Winter War and the Continuation War...
ceded to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He also claims to lead several organizations.
Lehto has hosted a podcast called Patrioottiradio, and become well-known for creating numerous blogs to disparage politicians and members of racial, ethnic and religious minorities.
On 30 May 2008, the Tampere District Court sentenced Lehto to two years and four months imprisonment. Lehto was charged with nine counts of gross defamation, inciting ethnic hatred and religious blasphemy
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
against Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. The defamations included sexual slander towards the victims, claiming the victims to be guilty of fabricated crimes and writing disturbing material as if they were written by the victims (Identity theft
Identity theft
Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
). Some blog entries were also inciting to violence against the victims. Over 40 blog sites were closed by the court's decision. Lehto had previously served a suspended sentence for defamation and was under probation, which means that his three-month sentence will become mandatory.