I'hc war tollowotl l)\' mass-scale judicial procedures rhar starred in late June (7vooo cases) in political otfence courts founded hv the rump l^arliament usino retroacrixe legislation, listahlishing these courts meant a \ iolation ot the rules ot'the constitution that was held \ alid. The sentencing practise ot these tribunals in which the procedure was summary in character, was hard and \ ague. The princijxle of legalirx’ and other tundamental guarantees ot legal securitx' were commonly \ iolated in their interpretations of the criminal code ot i(S(Sy.'' This was shocking trom the point ot \ iew ot I'innish legal culture, w hich had underlined its legalistic nature since the periods otOjipression when resistance against Russiticarion attempts rook largeh’ the form ot legal battle. rhe polic\' ot repression changed, howexer, alreadx' in late lyiS’s. (ierman surrender in Nox ember lyiS put an end in I'innish “monarchic” internal policx’ backed bx (lermanx'. Democratic elections (in xx hich also social democrats [xarricipated xx ith success; rhex’ succeeded m getting (So seats ot 200) in March lyiy created a situation in xxhich a republican constitution xvas enacted in |ul\’ lyiy. .\tter this political climate in f'inland turned decisixeix trom right toxxards centre and also the xoice ot the social democrats xxas heard in I'innish societx'. In tact social democrats and agrarian league (a centrist parrx' in character) tound common interests in manx x ital issues ot dex eloping I'innish societx." I'aking into account xxhat )usr had hajipened, I'innish societx astonishingix rapidlx returned to relatixelx’ “normal conditions.” 'I'xvo major legal retorms illustrate this dex elopment. I'irst, the basis of a democratic state based on rule ot laxv (rechtsstaat) xxas laid bx' enacting the Russia - clearly constituted a crime of high treason. See martti lackman, Suomen vai Saksan puolesta. Jääkäreiden tuntematon historia, Otava 2000, p.707-727 9 See (UKKA KEKKONEN, Laillisuuden haaksirikko. Rikosoikeudenkäyttö Suomessa vuonna 1918, Kauppakaari 1991. p. 111-114. 10 In practise this meant that (many) Finnish civil servants' refused to apply legislation which they considered to be illegal, violating basic principles of Finnish legal system. 11 On the other hand, social democratic party was divided: the most radical fraction founded in august 1918 in exile (in Soviet Union) Finnish communist party. 447
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYyNDk=