The Tiitinen list is a Finnish classified government document which was given by West German Intelligence Service to the Finnish Security Police (Supo) in 1990. The list consists of the names of 18 persons[1] who are suspected to have been in contact with the East German security service Stasi.[2] The people are popularly described as having been suspected of spying for the Eastern Bloc. The list is named after Seppo Tiitinen, who was the head of Supo in 1990.[2]
A copy of the list has been requested by journalist Susanna Reinboth and, in 2008, Supo was ordered to disclose the list by the Helsinki administrative court. In 2010, the ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court of Finland.[2]
One major argument in keeping the list classified has been that it only specifies individuals who have allegedly been in contact with Stasi, but not the nature of the contact. Therefore being on the list would not constitute proof of or even indicate breaking any Finnish laws. Consequently it was chosen not to shame potentially innocent persons in the media. Supo also argued that the release of the list could endanger national security and its ability to cooperate with partners abroad hence Researcher Kimmo Elo, who had asked for the list and granted permission to study material related to Finnish-GDR relations during the Cold War, would be denied the list itself.[3]
In October 2010, Julian Assange said in an interview that WikiLeaks had received a set of eight documents making up the Tiitinen list, and that it was to be published by the website pending a factual review. The list is "one of the most sought-after documents that Wikileaks has", according to Assange.[4]
References
edit- Notes
- ^ Happonen, Päivi (12 May 2010). "KHO: Tiitisen lista pysyy salaisena". yle.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 21 May 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ a b c Sakki, Pekka (12 May 2010). "Stasi list to remain under lock and key -Finnish court". Helsinki Times. Archived from the original on 15 May 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "Supo: Cold War Stasi list to remain sealed despite researcher's request". News. 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
- ^ Aula, Leena Maria (28 October 2010). "Wikileaks turns its attention to the Tiitinen list". Helsinki Times. Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- General references
- Juha-Pekka Tikka, Ilta-Sanomat: This is what Tiitinen list is all about (in Finnish)
- Stasi articles from a Finnish newspaper Aamulehti (in Finnish) Archived 2008-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
- Der Einfluss der DDR auf Finnland (The impact of East Germany in Finland) Prof. Dr. Seppo Hentilä (in German)
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