Cultural Counsellor Veijo Baltzar at the Helsinki District Court on Wednesday, 3 March 2021. Veijo Baltzar is on trial for multiple human trafficking and sexual offences. Photo: Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva
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Finnish author and cultural figure Veijo Baltzar has been sentenced to one year and ten months in prison after the Helsinki Court of Appeal found him guilty of two counts of sexual abuse.
The ruling partially overturned an earlier district court decision that had acquitted the 82-year-old on all charges. While the court upheld the lower court’s rejection of human trafficking and labour exploitation charges, it concluded that Baltzar exploited his authority to coerce two women into sexual acts between 2016 and 2019.
The victims, young women engaged in Baltzar’s theatre projects, were found to be in a vulnerable position within a community described by the court as having “cult-like” characteristics. Baltzar, who was significantly older and held a strong position of authority, used the victims’ dependency to his advantage, according to the court’s findings.
“The situation between the parties was not equal. Baltzar must have understood that the victims submitted to the acts due to the dependency relationship,” the court ruled.
Baltzar was ordered to pay each victim €5,000 for suffering and €4,000 for temporary harm, plus interest.
The court emphasised that, although the acts did not meet the legal definitions of aggravated rape, rape, or coercion into sexual acts, they represented serious violations of sexual autonomy and dignity.
The Court of Appeal found no mitigating factors in Baltzar’s age, health, or the significant public attention the case had received.
The charges stemmed from a broader investigation that began after Baltzar’s arrest in November 2019. Authorities alleged he had created a tightly controlled environment within his theatre operations where young women were subjected to various abuses.
Although prosecutors sought a minimum ten-year sentence for alleged human trafficking and a series of sexual offences involving seven women, the Court of Appeal ruled that evidence for human trafficking was insufficient. It found that, despite the hierarchical and controlling nature of the community, the victims retained the ability to leave, and there was no proof of movement restrictions or outright control over their lives.
Baltzar consistently denied all charges throughout the lengthy judicial process.
The incidents in question took place between 2004 and 2019, with the victims aged between 15 and 36 at the time of the alleged crimes.
Baltzar’s legal team has the option to seek leave to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Finland.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
