Member of the Center Mikko Kärnä has reported on Twitter that he is accused of defaming the professor of constitutional law at the University of Helsinki Tuomas Ojanen.
In December 2020, Kärnä hinted on Twitter that Ojanen had written protests on behalf of MPs Mari Holopainen and Bella Forsgrén Parliamentary Constitutional Committee decided that the Minister of Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto (Green) should not be prosecuted for his perception of the repatriation of Finnish citizens from the al-Hol camp in northern Syria.
Ojanen vehemently denied that he had written a dissenting opinion and said at the time that he intended to bring an action for defamation.
Prosecutor Maija Päivinen confirmed the prosecution of Yle and added that the trial will begin in the Helsinki District Court next year.
Kärnä claims that the prosecutor’s interpretation of the lawsuit significantly restricts the constitutional rights of the Member of Parliament to publicly discuss the opinions of experts used by Parliament.
"I take this very seriously and I intend to defend myself against the accusation," Kärnä wrote on Twitter.
Ojanen told the news agency STT that he did not want to comment further.