Finland Proposes Law to Reject Asylum Seekers Crossing from Russia Border

The Finnish government is reportedly pushing for a law that would effectively allow it to unconditionally reject and block asylum seekers entering from the Russian border, according to foreign media on the 19th (local time).

Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland, announced that he plans to submit a bill to the parliament next week that would allow authorities to refuse to process asylum applications from people attempting to enter Finland from Russia and send them back to Russia.

Since December last year, Finland has temporarily closed Russian border checkpoints, citing Russia's use of "pushback of refugees" as a hybrid tactic toward its own border, and is currently operating only one border crossing where a railway for freight transport passes.

If the law is enacted, border guards will be able to forcibly return refugees coming from Russia, but asylum applications will continue to be accepted only for refugee children and people with disabilities.

Prime Minister Orpo acknowledged that the proposed law might violate international agreements related to refugee human rights but argued that it would be used "temporarily and restrictively."

For the law to be enacted, it must first be reviewed by the parliamentary committee in charge of constitutional affairs and then receive at least a five-sixths majority vote in the parliament.