A citizens' initiative launched by the family of a murdered Finnish teenager will proceed to parliament. The petition collected the required 50,000 signatures on Tuesday, November 4th.
The initiative seeks to change Finland's compensation laws for crime victims' families. Under the proposed system, the state treasury would pay suffering compensation when offenders cannot afford it.
The state would then recover these payments from convicted criminals. Current Finnish law requires victims' families to pursue compensation directly from offenders themselves.
The initiative follows the brutal murder of 15-year-old Vendi in Valkeakoski last May. Her sister and aunt serve as the petition's primary representatives.
Tuomas Sakari Matias Salminen, then 18, raped and murdered the teenager in central Finland. Courts sentenced him to life imprisonment for murder and aggravated rape of a child.
The Turun Court of Appeal ordered Salminen to pay 16,500 euros to each parent and 10,000 euros to each sibling. The family's lawyer stated they will likely never receive these compensation payments because Salminen has been declared bankrupt.
The murder conviction remains non-final as the now 20-year-old Salminen seeks leave to appeal to Finland's Supreme Court. This legal limbo highlights the practical challenges families face when offenders lack financial means.
Finland's compensation system currently places the burden of collection on victims' families rather than the state. The proposed changes would shift this responsibility to government authorities.
The parliamentary process will now examine whether Finland should better protect victims' families from financial hardship when offenders cannot pay court-ordered compensation.