Finland

Finland

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	The Finnish right to association was first enshrined on July 17th, 1919 in the Constitution Act of Finland. The right is found in Section 10a. (“Constitution Act of Finland”, 1919). “Constitution Act of Finland.” 1919. Refworld. July 17. https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b53418.html.
Freedom of Expression	History	According to Article 10 of the 1919 Form of Government, Finland protects the freedom of speech and the freedom to publish without restraint, although it does not explicitly state the freedom of expression. The 1999/2000 Constitution grants freedom of expression to all Finnish citizens, including “the right to express, disseminate, and receive information, opinions, and other communications without prior prevention by anyone.” There are limits to this freedom, such as to protect children or classified cases. References English translation of the French official translation of the original text of the Constitution of 17 July 1919. 469 (2010) https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.cow/zzfi0005&id=2&collection=cow&index= English translation Finnish original official text of the Constitution of 1999/2000. 3 (2017) https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzfi0015&id=3&men_tab=srchresults
Freedom of Religion	History	The Finnish Constitution Act of 1919 stipulated that “a Finnish citizen has the right to practice religion publicly and privately, provided that the law and good practices are not violated, as well as, as separately provided thereon, the freedom to renounce the religious community to which he belongs and the freedom to join another religious community.” This assurance is found under Section 8 and applies to all citizens of Finland (“Constitution Act” 1919). Under the 2000 Constitution of Finland sections 6 and 11 grant religious freedom, equality, and prohibit religious discrimination. “Constitution Act” 1919 Finland https://oikeusministerio.fi/en/constitution-of-finland
Freedom of the Press	History	Section 10 of Finland’s 1919 Constitution Act included the “right to impart, publish and receive information, opinions and other communications without prior hindrance from anyone” as part of its protections on freedom of expression (National Legislative Bodies, “Constitution Act of Finland”). Today, Section 12 of Finland’s 1999 Constitution protects the “right to express, disseminate and receive information, opinions and other communications without prior prevention by anyone” as part of its protections on freedom of expression (Constitute Project, “Finland's Constitution of 1999 with Amendments through 2011” ).
Privacy Rights	History	Originally, the 1919 Finnish Constitution protected privacy in Section 8 (RefWorld, “Constitution Act of Finland”). Today, Section 10 of the Finnish Constitution protects the right to privacy with similar language. It says, “Everyone's private life, honour and the sanctity of the home are guaranteed. More detailed provisions on the protection of personal data are laid down by an Act. The secrecy of correspondence, telephony and other confidential communications is inviolable” (Constitute Project, “Finland 1999 rev. 2011” ). https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Finland_ 2011? lang=en https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b53418.html
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	Section 14 of the Finish Constitution grants universal suffrage to every Finnish citizen who has reached 18 years of age and has the right to vote in national elections and referendums (Constitute Project, “Finland's Constitution of 1999 with Amendments through 2011” ).