Finnish journalist accused of organizing Chechens' illegal entry to Finland

In Finland, journalist Mikael Storsjo is accused of helping 22 Chechens to enter Finland via Turkey without visas. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about it by Ilyas Akhtaev, a Chechen, who is now in Finland waiting for his refugee status.

"Mr Storsjo's trial started last week. He is charged of helping 22 Chechens to cross the border illegally and without documents. They say that informally the charges had been initiated by a few people who are supporting Pastor Yukho Molari, who recently treated all the Chechen refugees to be terrorists. Storsjo helps Chechens and Molari makes friends with Russian authorities; there's a conflict between them," explained Ilyas Akhtaev.

The prosecution asserts that Storsjo broke the law in 2007-2010, when he helped 22 Chechens to move to Finland via Istanbul - the entrees had no entry permits, visas and other documents. 9 out of 22 illegal immigrants were minors. He paid for their flights, but it is unknown whether his expenses had been repaid. Storsjo argues that he helped his friends for reasons of altruism and took no money for his services. The next session on the case will be held in April.

In November 2010, during a personal meeting in Finland, when the documentary was filmed about Chechen refugees, Mikael Storsjo told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he would continue informing people about what happened in Russia and Northern Caucasus, especially in Chechnya, and about what happened with Chechen refugees in Finland.

They also try to bring journalist Mikael Storsjo, now living in Finland, to responsibility for other violations either. In particular, in spring last year he was accused of threatening ordinary citizens, who did not share his views on terror acts in Moscow metro.

The journalist calls himself to be a human rights activist: he is the organizer of the Finnish-Chechen human rights organization; within its activities he helped people to move, to those "who lived in subhuman conditions." In October 2010 Storsjo declared his confidence that he would be acquitted, since the Finnish law allows helping people for "humanitarian purposes".

Mikael Storsjo stands for the freedom of dissemination of information on the Internet and supports the "Kavkaz-Centre" - the news agency, broadcasting on the problems in Northern Caucasus and "jihad" on behalf of Muslim separatists, members of the organizations and groupings banned by the Russian law.