Veija (Veijo) Baltzar in 2012. Photo: Kimmo Mäntylä / Lehtikuva
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President Alexander Stubb has revoked the honorary title of Cultural Counsellor from author Veijo Baltzar, following his conviction for sexual offences. This marks the first known case in modern Finnish history where a presidentially granted title has been officially withdrawn.
The decision was made on Friday after a proposal by the honours committee. According to government regulations, honorary titles can be revoked if the recipient is sentenced to more than one year in prison. Baltzar received a prison sentence of one year and ten months from the Helsinki Court of Appeal in spring 2024 for two counts of sexual abuse.
President Tarja Halonen granted the title to Baltzar in 2011. It is among the highest honours awarded to individuals in Finland for contributions to culture. Since 2000, the Cultural Counsellor title has been granted 17 times.
According to the Court of Appeal, Baltzar used his position to pressure victims into sexual acts, abusing their dependence on him. The court found that he manipulated young women in his theatre group, some of them high school students, and lured them to live in his home under false pretences.
The decision to strip Baltzar of his title came as President Stubb awarded 66 new honorary titles. Among them were industrial counsellor titles for Valio CEO Annikka Hurme and OP Financial Group President Timo Ritakallio.
The option to revoke honorary titles remains discretionary. In this case, the government cited the nature of the crimes and the length of the prison sentence as grounds for the decision.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
