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He received his training in [[sociology]] and [[political history]] in the [[University of Helsinki]], where he defended his Ph.D. in 2006 <ref>http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/val/sosio/vk/backman/abstract.html</ref> and is now [[adjunct professor]] in the [[sociology of law]]<ref>http://www.helsinki.fi/rpol/esittely/henkilosto.htm</ref>. He is also adjunct professor in criminology at the [[University of Turku]]<ref>http://notes.utu.fi/ty/webexper.nsf/031b9e8464cecb05c22564dd003abe2e/9b3aa972eae3fe4ec22573b700208d2b?OpenDocument</ref> and the [[University of Joensuu]]. He has taught courses on the sociology of law, criminology and Russian studies in several Finnish universities.
He received his training in [[sociology]] and [[political history]] in the [[University of Helsinki]], where he defended his Ph.D. in 2006 <ref>http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/val/sosio/vk/backman/abstract.html</ref> and is now [[adjunct professor]] in the [[sociology of law]]<ref>http://www.helsinki.fi/rpol/esittely/henkilosto.htm</ref>. He is also adjunct professor in criminology at the [[University of Turku]]<ref>http://notes.utu.fi/ty/webexper.nsf/031b9e8464cecb05c22564dd003abe2e/9b3aa972eae3fe4ec22573b700208d2b?OpenDocument</ref> and the [[University of Joensuu]]. He has taught courses on the sociology of law, criminology and Russian studies in several Finnish universities.


Bäckman has written about [[Foreign relations of Finland#Relations With the Soviet Union|Finnish-Soviet relations]] during the [[Cold War]], war history of Finland and the Soviet Union, [[organized crime]] in [[Russia]] and [[Estonia]], the [[Russian Mafia]], terrorism and [[history of Estonia]]. Bäckman's writings, published in Finland and Estonia, have been regarded as [[Putinism|pro-Putin]] and [[Anti-Estonian sentiment|anti-Estonian]].<ref>[[Eesti Ekspress]] [[23 February]] [[2009]] 12:43: [http://www.ekspress.ee/2009/03/23/eesti-uudised/40505-raige-eesti-vastane-kampaania-kaib-kolmes-riigis-korraga Räige Eesti-vastane kampaania käib kolmes riigis korraga], edited by [[Askur Alas]]</ref> As a spokesman for the [[Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee]] he has argued against what he calls "[[apartheid]] policies" of [[Estonia]] and [[Latvia]].
Bäckman has written about [[Foreign relations of Finland#Relations With the Soviet Union|Finnish-Soviet relations]] during the [[Cold War]], war history of Finland and the Soviet Union, [[organized crime]] in [[Russia]] and [[Estonia]], the [[Russian Mafia]], terrorism and [[history of Estonia]]. The nationalist Estonian press claims Bäckman's writings are "stalinist" and "pro-Putin".<ref>[[Eesti Ekspress]] [[23 February]] [[2009]] 12:43: [http://www.ekspress.ee/2009/03/23/eesti-uudised/40505-raige-eesti-vastane-kampaania-kaib-kolmes-riigis-korraga Räige Eesti-vastane kampaania käib kolmes riigis korraga], edited by [[Askur Alas]]</ref> As a spokesman for the [[Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee]] he has argued against what he calls "[[apartheid]] policies" of [[Estonia]] and [[Latvia]].


== Bäckman and Russia ==
== Bäckman and Russia ==

Revision as of 07:43, 2 April 2009

Johan Bäckman
Born1971
NationalityFinnish
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki
Known forControversial views

Johan Bäckman (born in 1971) is a Finnish political author, legal sociologist and criminologist, holding adjunct professorships in several Finnish universities[1][2].

He received his training in sociology and political history in the University of Helsinki, where he defended his Ph.D. in 2006 [3] and is now adjunct professor in the sociology of law[4]. He is also adjunct professor in criminology at the University of Turku[5] and the University of Joensuu. He has taught courses on the sociology of law, criminology and Russian studies in several Finnish universities.

Bäckman has written about Finnish-Soviet relations during the Cold War, war history of Finland and the Soviet Union, organized crime in Russia and Estonia, the Russian Mafia, terrorism and history of Estonia. The nationalist Estonian press claims Bäckman's writings are "stalinist" and "pro-Putin".[6] As a spokesman for the Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee he has argued against what he calls "apartheid policies" of Estonia and Latvia.

Bäckman and Russia

Bäckman has frequented Russia since 1993[7] and is fluent in Russian. In 2000, he established in Saint Petersburg a publishing institution named after himself as Johan Beckman Institute.

In March 2002 in Suojärvi, Republic of Karelia, Russia, during a military historical festival dedicated to the 62nd anniversary of the end of the Winter War, Bäckman made a sensational claim that the modern authorities of Finland propagated the idea that the Russian people is genetically inferior and expected Russia to collapse in about twenty years.[8][9] Other participants of the festival considered that he unreasonably overestimated the extent of anti-Russian sentiment in Finland.[10] According to Bäckman's article "Finland without a mask", published in Russian in May 2002, in general the Finns consider themselves a superior nation, all Russian women prostitutes and all Russian men thieves and bandits.[11] During 2002, Bäckman gained an odious reputation both in Russia and among his Finnish colleagues.[12]

In 2002 Bäckman publicly accused the Foreign Ministry of Finland of Russophobia and racism. He claimed that the ministry was preparing a campaign to smear Russia and return the territories lost in the Paris Peace Treaty.[13]

In 2003 Johan Beckman Institute published the book Finland and the Siege of Leningrad 1941-1944 by Russian historian Nikolai Baryshnikov. The Saint Petersburg legislature awarded Bäckman Marshal Govorov Literature Prize (2003) for that work. The book was labelled by Finnish historian Timo Vihavainen of the University of Helsinki as "a book built on Stalinist propaganda stereotypes". Vihavainen also said that Baryshnikov had misunderstood some of the language in Finnish archive documents.[14] Bäckman and Baryshnikov threatened to sue Vihavainen. Bäckman is highly critical of the modern Finnish historiography of World War II and challenges the traditional Finnish ideas that Finland waged a separate Continuation War against the aggression of the USSR. According to Bäckman, the Finns participated in the Siege of Leningrad actively and asked Hitler to destroy the city. He speculates that Finland also planned ethnic cleansing in Karelia in order to create a Fenno-Ugric superpower, possibly stretching as far as the Urals or even the river Yenisei, which he claimed was proven by vast amounts of documents and also several Finnish history books by Helge Seppälä, Osmo Hyytiä and Nikolai Baryshnikov.

File:Saatana Helsinkiin.jpg
In the pamphlet Finland washed with Anna Politkovskaya's blood Bäckman accuses the Finnish media of anti-Russian and anti-Putin sentiment.[15]

In his 2007 book "Finland washed with Anna Politkovskaya's blood"[16] (Finnish: Saatana saapuu Helsinkiin, Literally: Satan Arrives in Helsinki) he supported the conspiracy theory that Anna Politkovskaya assassination was organized by circles who wanted to smear Russian president Vladimir Putin[17]. Bäckman even hints that Politkovskaya was depressed and ordered her own murder. According to Bäckman, Politkovskaya was an American agent. He also critizes Finns reactions for murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Bäckman accused Finnish Green League politician Heidi Hautala and the Finnish media of inciting hatred towards Russia and Vladimir Putin. Hautala, depicted on the book cover (pictured), saw this as a smear campaign, but refused to take legal action, preferring to allow the book to speak for itself.[15]

Johan Bäckman admires Vladmir Putin, crediting his personality and health with all recent successes of Russia.[18][19] He has compared Vladimir Putin to Cold War-era Finnish president Urho Kekkonen and claimed that he wish Putin likewise ruled Russia for 26 years. He stated that Finland also needs such organizations as pro-Kremlin Nashi and Walking Together.[18] According to Bäckman, the freedom of the press in Russia is considerably higher than in Finland, and Estonia is not free at all.[18]

Bäckman and Estonia

The Bronze Soldier book

In his highly controversial book about the Estonian Bronze Soldier Pronssisoturi: Viron patsaskiistan tausta ja sisältö, Bäckman has argued against what he calls "apartheid policies" of Estonia and Latvia. In his opinion, Estonian integration policies are "apartheid" and represents a "criminal discrimination of Russians"[17]. In the Bronze Soldier he dismissed the Soviet occupation of Estonia as a "Nazi myth".[20] Bäckman has gained wide publicity in Estonia for denying the Soviet occupation during 1940-1941 and 1944-1991:

"In my opinion speaking or writing of Soviet "occupation" should be criminalised as a form of racist propaganda. I demand five years prison sentence to everyone who dears to say Estonia was "occupied" by Soviet Union."[21]

In connection to the publication of the book in September 2008, Bäckman gave several controversial interviews e.g. claming Estonia will join Russian within a decade.[17][22][23][24][25] Bäckman also claimd that the "destruction" of the Bronze Soldier grave site and monument in April 2007 by the Estonian government was "the end of history of Estonia". He speculated that most of the Russian youth all over Russia, including children, hated Estonia and denied it the right to exist. Bäckman went on to predict that in ten years at most, the Nashi comes to power in Russia, leading to end of the Estonian statehood shortly afterwards.[17]

After the publication of the book a number of Finnish and Estonian cultural figures, scholars, journalists and politicians, including Henrik Lax, Lasse Lehtinen and Sofi Oksanen, addressed the University of Helsinki with an open letter of protest, partly in relation Bäckman teaching a course on "specialities of Estonian legal policy" in Spring 2009.[26] The former minister of foreign affairs of Finland Dr. Erkki Tuomioja reacted by saying the letter was "censorship letter" violating principles of freedom of speech.[27] The University of Helsinki distanced itself in a statement holding that Bäckman's political views are his own and not representing the University's.[28][29]

Max Jakobson

Bäckman has seriously stated that Estonia does not exist as a sovereign state[30]. Following publication of the final report of the Estonian International Commission for Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity, Bäckman as part of the Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee claimed that its chairman, the Finnish diplomat and one-time UN Secretary-General candidate Max Jakobson, is the "ideological father of the criminal apartheid regime of Estonia"[31] and that this ideology being maintained by official Estonia is Nazism, according to Bäckman[32].

Bäckman arranged the "Nashi-protest" in March 23, 2009. The handful of demonstrators were the focus of attention for about 40 representatives of the media.[33]

Nashi protests in Helsinki

In March 2009 Bäckman as part of the Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee arranged a series of protests in Helsinki attended by activists of Nashi, Night Watch and the prospective Finnish Islamic Party represented by Abdullah Tammi against what he called the opening a new anti-Russian front on information warfare on the territory of Finland by Estonian embassy. The protests were aimed aganst seminars, a book about the Soviet occupation of Estonia and films presented by the Estonian embassy, especially the film Soviet Story by Edvins Snore. [33] In media commentaries for Swedish, Finnish and Russian press, television and radio, Bäckman claimed that the Soviet Union did not occupy Estonia and belittled the significance of the Soviet deportations from Estonia[33].

Estonian counter intelligence assessment of Bäckman

In the opinion of the counter-intelligence agency Kaitsepolitseiamet, Bäckman is a Russian propagandist spreading disinformation similar to the claims Moscow is making. The spokesman for the Kaitsepolitseiamet added that Estonia is a free country, where marginals can publish their writings, and it is best to ignore them, even if they are foreigners. [34]

In March 2009 the Kaitsepolitseiamet said that Bäckman is a communist who maintains close friendship with well-known Finnish neo-nazi Risto Teinonen, both of whom know the former KGB agent residing in Estonia Vladimir Ilyashevich, all of them being linked with the young Muscovite historian Alexander Dyukov.[35] In the assessment by Kaitsepolitseiamet, Bäckman, Teinonen and Ilyashevich are clearly working as a Moscow supported team attempting to undermine the names of many good people, relations between Finland and Estonia and the Republic of Estonia itself.[35]

In his blog Bäckman clamed that in February 2009 the Estonian security police general director Raivo Aeg sent a letter to the chancellor of the University of Helsinki Ilkka Niiniluoto saying Bäckman is not welcomed in Estonia because he "in recent years has deliberately spread false and defamatory information about Estonian Republic and it’s history, insulting people who had suffered through the crimes against humanity committed by the Soviet regime".[36]

Politics

Bäckman has denied he is a communist but at the same time he has said he admires Taistoists of the 1970s, the hardline pro-Soviet faction in the Communist Party of Finland.[37] Bäckman will be a candidate for European Parliament election in 2009.[38] Currently he is not any parties list, but Bäckman will announce his party by 30th of April at 4pm[39].

Awards

The Saint Petersburg legislature awarded Bäckman Marshal Govorov Literature Prize (2004) for publishing the book Finland and the Siege of Leningrad 1941-1944 by Russian historian Nikolai Baryshnikov. The Finnish historian Timo Vihavainen commented the book was "built on Stalinist propaganda stereotypes" and the author had mistranslated some sources[40]

Works

  • Bäckman, Johan (1996). Venäjän organisoitu rikollisuus. Helsinki: Oikeuspoliittinen tutkimuslaitos. ISBN 951-704-191-8.
  • Bäckman, Johan (1997). Liikkeenjohto Venäjän muutoksessa. Helsinki: WSOY. ISBN 951-0-21672-0.
  • Bäckman, Johan (1998). The inflation of crime in Russia: The social danger of the emerging markets. Helsinki: National Research Institute of Legal Policy. ISBN 951-704-211-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |Kieli= ignored (help)
  • Bäckman, Johan (1999). ”Sudella on sata tietä...”: Pietarin organisoitu rikollisuus Venäjän rikosoikeuskulttuurin kehyksessä. Helsinki: Oikeuspoliittinen tutkimuslaitos. ISBN 951-704-240-X.
  • Bäckman, Johan (2001). Entäs kun tulee se yhdestoista? Suomettumisen uusi historia. Helsinki: WSOY. ISBN 951-0-25654-4.
  • Bäckman, Johan (2006). Itämafia: Uhkakuvapolitiikka, rikosilmiöt ja kulttuuriset merkitykset. Espoo: Poliisiammattikorkeakoulu. ISBN 951-815-112. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
  • Bäckman, Johan (2007). Saatana saapuu Helsinkiin: Anna Politkovskajan murha ja Suomi. Helsinki: Russia Advisory Group. ISBN 978-952-99785-1-9.
  • Bäckman, Johan (2008). Pronssisoturi: Viron patsaskiistan tausta ja sisältö. Tallinn: Tarbeinfo. ISBN 978-9985-9721-7-5.

References

  1. ^ "Oikeussosiologia 2008-2009". University of Helsinki. Retrieved 30.3.2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ "Dosentti Johan Bäckman, VTT". University of Turku. Retrieved 30.3.2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/val/sosio/vk/backman/abstract.html
  4. ^ http://www.helsinki.fi/rpol/esittely/henkilosto.htm
  5. ^ http://notes.utu.fi/ty/webexper.nsf/031b9e8464cecb05c22564dd003abe2e/9b3aa972eae3fe4ec22573b700208d2b?OpenDocument
  6. ^ Eesti Ekspress 23 February 2009 12:43: Räige Eesti-vastane kampaania käib kolmes riigis korraga, edited by Askur Alas
  7. ^ http://www.politika-karelia.ru/cgi-bin/articles_print.cgi?id=32
  8. ^ http://www.rep.ru/20Mar2002/society/01.html
  9. ^ http://www.politika-karelia.ru/cgi-bin/articles_print.cgi?id=32
  10. ^ http://www.rep.ru/10Apr2002/society/02.html
  11. ^ [1]
  12. ^ http://www.politika-karelia.ru/shtml/article.shtml?id=28
  13. ^ http://www.gov.karelia.ru/Karelia/990/39.html
  14. ^ http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=9118
  15. ^ a b Helsingin Sanomat: Book accuses media and Green MP of inciting anti-Russian sentiment (2007-03-01)
  16. ^ Johan Bäckman: Finland washed with Anna Politkovskaya's blood ФИНЛЯНДИЯ, КРОВЬЮ АННЫ ПОЛИТКОВСКОЙ УМЫТАЯ
  17. ^ a b c d Десять лет, которые потрясут Эстонию Den' za Dnyom Template:Ru icon
  18. ^ a b c http://www.apn-spb.ru/publications/article2329.htm
  19. ^ http://www.apn-spb.ru/publications/article2316.htm
  20. ^ http://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/artikkeli/1135239739349
  21. ^ http://pronssisoturi.blogspot.com/2008/09/estonia-was-not-occupies.html
  22. ^ Template:De icon "Estland in zehn Jahren Teil der Russischen Föderation". Der Standard. 2008-09-11. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  23. ^ Bäckman: Eesti on teel otse põrgusse Eesti Päevaleht 11 August 2008 Template:Et icon
  24. ^ Finnish writer: Estonia to lose independence in 10 years Baltic Business News 11 August 2008
  25. ^ Эстония прямиком движется в ад Molodezh Estonii 15 August 2008
  26. ^ http://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/artikkeli/1135239710765
  27. ^ Tuomioja, Erkki (October 2008). "Pitäisikö provosoitua?". Retrieved 2009-03-31.
  28. ^ http://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/artikkeli/1135239739349
  29. ^ Helsingi ülikool distantseerus Bäckmani seisukohtadest Postimees 27 March 2008 Template:Et icon
  30. ^ ves.lv 6 March 2009 13:02: "Эстония? Нет такого государства!", interview by Yelena Slyusareva
  31. ^ Misanthropist of the Year 2009
  32. ^ Eesti Päevaleht 17 March 2009 13:44: Johan Bäckman: natsism on Eesti ametlik ideoloogia, edited by Kalev Kask
  33. ^ a b c Helsingin Sanomat: Hundreds of listeners and a handful of protesters attend publication of book on Estonia (2007-03-24)
  34. ^ Viivik, Allar (2008-03-23). "Kapo: milleks aidata Vene propagandamasinat?". SL Õhtuleht (in Template:Et icon). Retrieved 2008-26-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  35. ^ a b Askur Alas (18 March 2009). "Üheskoos Eesti vastu: antifašist Bäckman ja natsimeelne Teinonen". Eesti Ekspress (in Template:Et icon). Retrieved 2009-03-31. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  36. ^ http://www.vunet.org/ulkomaat/story-8475.html
  37. ^ Bruun, Staffan (2009-03-22). "Han bjöd in 30 Putinunga" (in Template:Sv). Hufvudstadsbladet. Retrieved 2009-03-29.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  38. ^ Bäckman, Johan. "Dosentti Johan Bäckmanin uusi eurovaaliblogi 2009". Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  39. ^ Bäckman, Johan. "Dosentti Johan Bäckmanin uusi eurovaaliblogi 2009: Mitä puoluetta edustan?". Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  40. ^ http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=9118
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