File picture of the parliament. Photo Lehtikuva
A citizen initiative bill on the deportation of foreign offenders was submitted to parliament on Friday.
The initiative which had been endorsed by over 54,000 signatories was handed over to the Speaker Maria Lohela.
The time span for collecting the signatures for the initiative expired in early May.
The draft demands the deportation of foreigners guilty of serious crimes irrespective of the length of the prison sentence.
The only exception would apply to cases where deportation would violate international agreements.
The parliament has an obligation to handle matters of citizens’ initiative which have accumulated at least 50,000 signatures in six months after launch of the initiative.
The citizens’ initiative is examined and approved by the Population Register Centre before forwarding it to the parliament.
