Helsinki court to hear appeals of journalists accused of revealing state secrets

The Helsinki Court of Appeals will begin hearings on Wednesday regarding the publication of an article by Helsingin Sanomat about the Communications Research Center. The prosecutor is seeking penalties for journalists Tuomo Pietiläinen, Laura Halminen, and Kalle Silfverberg for revealing state secrets and attempting to do so. The charges stem from a December 2017 article published by Helsingin Sanomat concerning the Finnish Defence Force’s Communications Research Center.

According to the prosecutors, the defendants were aware that the article contained information protected for reasons of Finland’s national security. The Defence Forces had classified the documents under protection levels I to IV, which allegedly included secrets of the highest classification. The charge related to the attempt to reveal state secrets pertains to the fact that Helsingin Sanomat planned to publish five follow-up articles about the Research Center, which were ultimately not released.

The prosecution argues that Pietiläinen, Halminen, and Silfverberg should be sentenced to imprisonment, which could be probationary. The HS journalists denied the charges in the district court and are continuing to refute them in the appeals court, requesting that the court overturn the district court’s verdict.

In January 2023, the district court previously convicted Pietiläinen and Halminen for disclosing state secrets, with Pietiläinen receiving a fine of 50 day fines, designated instead of a prison sentence due to the lengthy and highly publicized trial. Halminen’s role was deemed less significant, and the court chose not to impose a penalty on her. Silfverberg’s charges were dismissed as he was found not to have participated in the disclosure of secrets.