Finland List of concentration and internment camps

in finnish civil war, victorious white army , german troops captured 80,000 red prisoners end of war on 5 may 1918. once white terror subsided, few thousand including small children , women, set free, leaving 74,000–76,000 prisoners. largest prison camps suomenlinna, island facing helsinki, hämeenlinna, lahti, viipuri, ekenäs, riihimäki , tampere. senate made decision keep these prisoners detained until each person s guilt examined. law tribunal of treason enacted on 29 may after long dispute between white army , senate of proper trial method adopt. start of heavy , slow process of trials delayed further until 18 june 1918. tribunal did not meet standards of neutral justice, due mental atmosphere of white finland after war. approximately 70,000 reds convicted, complicity treason. of sentences lenient, however, , many got out on parole. 555 persons sentenced death, of whom 113 executed. trials revealed innocent persons had been imprisoned.

combined severe food shortage, mass imprisonment led high mortality rates in camps, , catastrophe compounded mentality of punishment, anger , indifference on part of victors. many prisoners felt abandoned own leaders, had fled russia. condition of prisoners had weakened rapidly during may, after food supplies had been disrupted during red guards retreat in april, , high number of prisoners had been captured during first half of april in tampere , helsinki. consequence, 2,900 starved death or died in june result of diseases caused malnutrition , spanish flu, 5,000 in july, 2,200 in august, , 1,000 in september. mortality rate highest in ekenäs camp @ 34%, while in others rate varied between 5% , 20%. in total, between 11,000 , 13,500 finns perished. dead buried in mass graves near camps. majority of prisoners paroled or pardoned end of 1918 after victory of western powers in world war caused major change in finnish domestic political situation. there 6,100 red prisoners left @ end of year, 100 in 1921 (at same time civil rights given 40,000 prisoners) , in 1927 last 50 prisoners pardoned social democratic government led väinö tanner. in 1973, finnish government paid reparations 11,600 persons imprisoned in camps after civil war.

wwii (continuation war)


russian children @ finnish-run transfer camp in petrozavodsk. sign reads, in finnish , russian: transfer camp. entry camp , conversations through fence forbidden under penalty of death.

when finnish army during second world war occupied east karelia 1941–1944, inhabited ethnically related finnic karelians (although never had been part of finland—or before 1809 of swedish finland), several concentration camps set ethnically russian civilians. first camp set on october 24, 1941, in petrozavodsk. 2 largest groups 6,000 russian refugees , 3,000 inhabitants southern bank of river svir forcibly evacuated because of closeness of front line. around 4,000 of prisoners perished due malnourishment, 90% of them during spring , summer 1942. ultimate goal move russian speaking population german-occupied russia in exchange finnish population these areas, , watch civilians.

population in finnish camps:

13,400 – december 31, 1941
21,984 – july 1, 1942
15,241 – january 1, 1943
14,917 – january 1, 1944




^ paavolainen 1971, kekkonen 1991, keränen 1992, pp. 140, 142, jussila, hentilä & nevakivi 1999, p. 112, tikka 2006, pp. 161–78, uta.fi/suomi80/yhteiskunta/valtiorikosoikeudet
^ paavolainen 1971, manninen 1992–1993, eerola & eerola 1998, pp. 114, 121, 123, westerlund 2004, pp. 115–50, linnanmäki 2005
^ jussila, hentilä & nevakivi 1999, p. 112
^ vuoden 1918 kronologia. työväen arkisto. retrieved 10-23-2007. (in finnish)
^ (in russian) Семейный Ковчег: Военное детство нынче не в цене , april 2004
^ laine, antti, suur-suomen kahdet kasvot, 1982, isbn 951-1-06947-0, otava