60 years old | Johanna Suurpää’s work as a refugee counseling lawyer began dramatically when thousands of refugees from Somalia in the early 1990s

Finland joined the Council of Europe for the Protection of Human Rights in 1989.

It is hard to believe that for such a short time, extensive human and fundamental rights are already taken for granted. The line was further consolidated by EU membership in 1995.

In the 1980s, a new professional title appeared in Finland, human rights lawyers. Helsinki law student Johanna Suurpää was associated with this small group, and upon graduation he was hired as the first lawyer of the Refugee Council.

What would grab the vanguard?

“As a teenager, I had joined Amnesty and I work at the university, especially in the developing country movement, and they also promote human rights. The most decisive thing for me was that there was a lively team in law, for example, drafting an ‘shadow aliens law’ to replace inappropriate or missing standards, ”says Suurpää, a human rights lawyer and current head of the Ministry of Justice.

“My mentor was a professor of international law Matti Pellonpää, which specifically trained us in key new aspects. After all, Finland also signed a human rights treaty in 1988. ”

Big head his work as a lawyer for refugee counseling went dramatically.

“The situation skyrocketed at the turn of the decade when thousands of refugees arrived from Somalia in a short time. You had to be able to share the right information and support people in need. ”

Due to the outdated Aliens Act, the proceedings took a long time, and only a direct deportation decision could be appealed.

The Great Head guided and represented people with shocking experiences. His work also involved extensive publicity. How did the young lawyer adapt to unforeseen situations?

“I grew up with a professional shell that I hear about any kind of brutal torture or rape, everything has to be a job.”

Although Great head switched early in his career, human rights issues have been involved in one way or another all the time.

How can our current line of human rights be described compared to three decades ago?

“The difference is huge. Significant progress has been made in these matters, and Finland’s democracy and legal system as a whole receive high marks in all comparisons. ”

“If the Aliens Act was tightened with the 2015 wave of refugees, it has since been extended again.”

The Great Head does not dare to give concrete advice to policymakers on how to most effectively help people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

“The key is the strong solidarity that has suddenly woken up across Europe. And Finland also has better readiness and knowledge of what people coming from the foot of the war need. ”

It is to be fearedthat as many as four million Ukrainians may have to leave their homes. After World War II, it would be the largest refugee crisis in Europe.

For a stable human rights policy, Suurpää names three pillars: it is the basis of international law and the Constitution, human rights treaties have been concluded – and consistency must be respected.

“Conflicts can lead to serious slippages and human rights are at risk of getting into the teeth of politics at other times, but I am generally confident.”

“In this terrible situation, we can see a whole new kind of solidarity with our fellow human beings.”