Finnish MPs push for mandatory prison terms for rape and deportation of foreign inmates

Otto Andersson said he will collect at least one hundred signatures from fellow parliamentarians for his proposal that rape offenses always receive unconditional prison terms, effectively raising the minimum sentence from one to two years and one month to more than two years without the possibility of parole. Finns Party legislators Merja Rasinkangas and Ari Koponen introduced a comparable initiative two days earlier, and Andersson expressed support for their effort.

Justice Minister Leena Meri explained that the last government set a two-year minimum for child rape and that severe cases involving teenagers already merit mandatory imprisonment. She welcomed the debate but questioned whether the parliamentary timetable allows for a full government bill this term and warned that prisons are already full. Meri advocated for a policy modeled on Iceland, permitting foreign prisoners to be released on parole after serving a third of their sentence if they are then deported with a permanent ban across the Schengen area, a measure also backed by Finns Party vice-chair Joakim Vigelius.