The Finnish Union of Journalists filed a complaint with the Office of the Prosecutor General today, Wednesday 2 April. The complaint concerns the prosecutor’s decision to terminate the preliminary investigation into alleged defamation targeting journalist Ida Erämaa. The prosecutor ended the investigation citing triviality and cost considerations. The UJF maintains that crimes targeting journalists because of their work pose a threat to the core area of freedom of expression. Therefore, they cannot be considered of minor importance. On 2 July 2023, Erämaa wrote a column in the newspaper Iltalehti addressing the current political situation. She was subsequently subjected to a deluge of personal attacks across various media and social media platforms. The online messaging contained overtly abusive comments directed at Erämaa's person and gender. The nature of the abuse clearly exceeded what could be considered acceptable by denigrating Erämaa. In the decision, the prosecutor refers to the police assessment of the complainant’s substantial contributory conduct as a mitigating factor. But, according to the UJF, a journalist's normal work cannot be considered "substantial contributory conduct" or a justification for crimes committed against them. “From the perspective of the rule of law, it is extremely problematic to claim that a journalist's work would constitute a mitigating factor regarding crimes committed against them,” says Tytti Oras, legal counsel for the UJF. Erämaa's article concerned a core area of freedom of expression, political journalism, and the public's right to know what is happening in society. “The attacks directed at the journalist are especially serious because they have had the effect of blocking the public's right to information. When journalists are silenced, it constitutes a fundamental threat to freedom of expression,” explains Oras. The UJF points out that in similar previous cases, charges have led to criminal convictions. Avainsanat: journalism journalist Press Freedom UJF