(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Speaker of Parliament Riitta Vosukainen, RSF has expressed its “surprise and concern” regarding journalist Jarkko Sipilae’s denial of access to this institution, under the pretext that he allegedly revealed “confidential” information. The organisation asked for an explanation of the matter, recalling that Article 10 of the European Convention on […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Speaker of Parliament Riitta Vosukainen, RSF has
expressed its “surprise and concern” regarding journalist Jarkko Sipilae’s
denial of access to this institution, under the pretext that he allegedly
revealed “confidential” information. The organisation asked for an
explanation of the matter, recalling that Article 10 of the European
Convention on Human Rights, to which Finland is a signatory, guarantees the
right to information. “We are most surprised that a journalist can be
sanctioned in such a manner simply for wishing to inform the public,” added
Robert Ménard, the organisation’s secretary-general.
According to the information received by RSF, on 14 September 1999, Sipilae,
a journalist with the television station MTV 3, was denied access to
Parliament because he allegedly disclosed information of a “confidential”
nature. Through his own sources, he had obtained information about alleged
disagreements between European Union members on immigration issues and
asylum laws.
