MFA has investigated Amnesty

At the request of Amnesty International Finland, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has investigated information presented in the media that suspicious flights would have gone by way of Finland in 2001–2006. The investigation, carried out in cooperation with other relevant authorities and Finavia Corporation, studied a comprehensive group of aircraft that had been mentioned in connection with such flights, e.g. in reports by the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, the United Nations and various civil society organisations. No indications of illicit activities were found. The aircraft included in the investigation landed at Finnish airports a total of just under 150 times during the period 2001–2006. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs scrutinised three of the flights already in 2005–2006. With one exception, the flights that had not been scrutinised earlier fell under the scope of private aviation. The only instance in which a General Headquarters permission required for a governmental aircraft to land in Finland was granted was the intermediate landing by the aircraft N733MA, which landed in Helsinki on 18 December 2002. According to its permission application, the aircraft was flying from Kyrgyzstan to Iceland. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs intends to ask the American Embassy for more information about this flight. Finland does not approve of secret prisons or detention centres. International law absolutely forbids the torture and inhuman treatment of prisoners. Finland does not allow its airspace or airports to be used for flights transporting prisoners in a manner contrary to international humanitarian law or human rights conventions.