Johan Bäckman

Versions of names: Бекман, Йохан
Finland

Johan Bäckman is a Finnish social scientist, doctor of political science and author of several books. He is a Chairperson of a radical political organisation Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee (SAFKA), which was established in 2008. Johan Bäckman often appears in the Russian media commenting on Finnish-Russian relations and has been declared persona non grata in Estonia and Moldova. He participated as a candidate in the elections to the European Parliament (2009) and the Finnish Parliament  (2011) on the list of Workers' Party of Finland, but was not elected. In May 2014 Bäckman declared himself a representative of the separatist "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR) in Finland. He frequently travelled to the DPR and observed its so-caled primary regional elections in 2016 and the "general elections" in 2018. In October 2018, Bäckman received a 12-month suspended jail sentence for aggravated defamation and stalking of Finnish journalist Jessikka Aro, who investiated pro-Kremlin Internet trolls. In 2019 he also observed the illegitimate parliamentary elections in the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia occupied by Russia.

Missions

Individual observers at the 2018 Russian presidential election in annexed Crimea

No affiliation

Institutional affiliation to Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee (SAFKA)

Нарушений мы не увидели, мы увидели настоящую демократию, чистую демократию, могу сказать, что Крым является самым демократичным местом в мире.

https://tass.ru/politika/5043026 (2018-03-18)
Individual observers at the 2018 general elections in the unrecognised Donetsk People’s Republic

No affiliation

Institutional affiliation to Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee (SAFKA)

Выборы хорошо организованы. Мы видим, что и в прифронтовых районах люди голосуют. Никаких проблем нет.

То, что мы видели – это были очень успешные, хорошо организованные выборы. Уверен, голос народа будет услышан сегодня. Я уверен, что это одни из самых чистых, открытых, прозрачных выборов, которые мы видели.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSNyVn4JBlw (2018-11-11)
Individual observers at the 2019 parliamentary elections in the unrecognised Republic of South Ossetia

No affiliation

Institutional affiliation to Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee (SAFKA)

International experts at the 2020 All-Russian Voting in Russia

No affiliation

Я считаю,что поправки в Конституцию укрепят демократию в России. Важно, что все инструкции о том, как голосовать, прозрачны и ясны. Информацию объективно передают людям на избирательных участках; транслируют по теливизуроу и радио, в интернете; на улицах есть афиши и плакаты. Важно ,что граждане знают о главном событии.

https://gorod-plus.tv/news/75971 (2020-06-30)

Также есть разные фейки, которые начали распространять еще до голосования. То есть еще до голосования они что-то знали. И эти фейки, что интересно, распространяются везде — от Нью-Йорка до Хельсинки один фейк. Думаю, главная проблема — поведение западных журналистов, что очень печально, на самом деле.

https://regnum.ru/news/polit/2997311.html (2020-06-30)

Corresponding elections

illegitimate
The overwhelming majority of the world’s nations does not recognise Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014, while international institutions such as the OSCE ODIHR considered Russian elections held in Crimea as illegitimate and did not send international election observers there. In their turn, Ukrainian authorities warned that any participation in the electoral process in Crimea would be illegal.
illegitimate
On 11 November 2018, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, located within the internationally recognised borders of Ukraine, held “elections” to elect a head of the “republic” and members of its “parliament”. The overwhelming majority of the world’s nations does not recognise the sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic, while international institutions such as the OSCE ODIHR considered “elections” there as illegitimate and did not send international election observers there.
illegitimate
On 9 June 2019, the so-called Republic of South Ossetia, located within the internationally recognised borders of Georgia, held “parliamentary elections”. The overwhelming majority of the world’s nations does not recognise the sovereignty of the Republic of South Ossetia, while international institutions such as the OSCE ODIHR considered “elections” there as illegitimate and did not send international election observers there.
legitimate
In order to have a possibility to stay in power until 2036, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided, in January 2020, to change the Constitution of the Russian Federation and legitimise its change through the “all-Russian voting”.