Storsjö says that over the years Russia has been doing a lot to try to silence the Kavkaz Center, a Chechen news and current affairs website. He is nonetheless surprised at Russia’s efforts to get his name added to the UN international terrorist list.
“The only thing that I’ve done is to help maintain the Kavkaz Center’s web pages – but this isn’t what Russia thinks,” Storsjö remarked in an Yle news interview.
The computer entrepreneur works as an administrator, assisting in the website's upkeep. The site operates out of Sweden.
In March this year, the Russian Foreign Ministry called on the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee to add Storsjö to the list of international terrorists. However, Britain, France and Luxembourg toppled the Russian proposal and Storsjö stayed off the blacklist.
“I can’t do anything but laugh”
Storsjö heard of the attempt late Thursday night. He does not know what criteria were cited in the request.
“The issue is essentially the fact that here in the west, we look at freedom of speech in a slightly different way than they do across the border,” Storsjö says. "I can’t do anything but laugh,” he added.
Helsinki Court of Appeal last year imposed a four-month suspended prison sentence on Storsjö for the arrangement of illegal immigration to Finland of more than 20 Chechens.