Editorial|It would be naive to believe that, without supervision, the use of secret information-gathering means by the security police and the Defense Forces will remain within the limits set by the law.
Pthe secret information acquisition of the exhumation forces and the protection police has received exceptional reprimands from the parliamentary ombudsman, Petri Jääskeläinen.
Based on the reports he has made, the ombudsman is concerned about whether the security authorities’ use of secret information-gathering methods remains within the limits for which they were originally intended in the law. Based on Jääskeläinen’s two separate reports, both the Finnish Defense Forces and Supokin have been monitoring target persons for years without proper grounds as defined by law.
The problems detected by the ombudsman date back to the period before the intelligence legislation that entered into force in June 2019. With the new law, both the Defense Forces and Supo have been able to obtain information secretly with significantly more relaxed rules. Military and civilian intelligence have very extraordinary powers to violate privacy and security of communications without the targets knowing.
The new intelligence laws, at least in principle, also enhanced the supervision of the security authorities. Jääskeläinen’s reports on previous activities show that there was a reason. The same conclusion must be drawn Supo’s current criminal suspicion. Supo officials are suspected of using a retired civil servant to obtain intelligence information.
In Finland, there is a strong belief in the actions of the authorities and obedience to the law. The trust also extends to the security authorities, who have been given extensive intelligence powers. That trust must not be jeopardized.
Incidents that have come to light should not just be dismissed as a thing of the past. It is necessary to find out whether there are any habits left in the working culture of the authorities that need to be addressed. It is harmful to the activities of the authorities, the political system, and security as well, if citizens start to suspect that the authorities are breaking laws and using power beyond their authority.
The editorials are HS’s positions on a current topic. The articles are prepared by HS’s editorial department, and they reflect the journal principle line.
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