Finnish Welfare Activists Charged

Two members of Finnish animal-welfare group Justice For Animals are under fire after uncovering abusive practices at the nation’s pig farms. Two years ago, the duo recorded and released footage from 30 farms showing pigs in cramped and dirty conditions, some dead and with infected wounds, which received widespread attention and sparked outrage among the public as well as the pork industry. This month, the activists—Karry Hedberg, a vegan chef, and Saila Kivelä, a political science student—are being charged with 10 counts of disturbing the peace and 12 counts of aggravated defamation. However, Hedberg tells Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, “At no stage did we ever suggest that the activities carried out at the pig farms were illegal. On the contrary: We wanted to show that this sort of operation is legal in Finland, despite the fact that it upsets many people.”