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“We are just trying to protect life; they want to throw us in jail for that?” Environmental Defenders’ Experiences and Perceptions of Repression and Criminalisation in Finland

Karhunen, Meri LU (2026) SOLM02 20261
Sociology of Law Department
Abstract
Environmental human rights defenders are often regarded as crucial actors of environmental democracy and drivers of sustainability, yet their repression and criminalisation by state and non-state actors have increased globally. Despite Finland’s reputation for strong human rights protection, scholars have identified an increase in the repression of climate activism since 2020. Moving beyond the legal aspects of criminalisation and repression, this thesis contributes to a broader understanding of the lived experiences of environmental defenders in Finland by examining how they experience and perceive repression and criminalisation, how they respond to these experiences, and how emotions shape these responses. Drawing on semi-structured... (More)
Environmental human rights defenders are often regarded as crucial actors of environmental democracy and drivers of sustainability, yet their repression and criminalisation by state and non-state actors have increased globally. Despite Finland’s reputation for strong human rights protection, scholars have identified an increase in the repression of climate activism since 2020. Moving beyond the legal aspects of criminalisation and repression, this thesis contributes to a broader understanding of the lived experiences of environmental defenders in Finland by examining how they experience and perceive repression and criminalisation, how they respond to these experiences, and how emotions shape these responses. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, the study finds that defenders xperience repression in various, often subtle forms. By examining how climate emotions and emotions related to repression shape defenders’ experiences and responses, the study highlights the role of positive emotions in sustaining engagement despite the challenges they face. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Karhunen, Meri LU
supervisor
organization
course
SOLM02 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
climate activism, climate emotions, criminalisation, environmental human rights defenders, repression
language
English
id
9250764
date added to LUP
2026-10-26 16:46:44
date last changed
2026-10-26 16:46:44
@misc{9250764,
  abstract     = {{Environmental human rights defenders are often regarded as crucial actors of environmental democracy and drivers of sustainability, yet their repression and criminalisation by state and non-state actors have increased globally. Despite Finland’s reputation for strong human rights protection, scholars have identified an increase in the repression of climate activism since 2020. Moving beyond the legal aspects of criminalisation and repression, this thesis contributes to a broader understanding of the lived experiences of environmental defenders in Finland by examining how they experience and perceive repression and criminalisation, how they respond to these experiences, and how emotions shape these responses. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, the study finds that defenders xperience repression in various, often subtle forms. By examining how climate emotions and emotions related to repression shape defenders’ experiences and responses, the study highlights the role of positive emotions in sustaining engagement despite the challenges they face.}},
  author       = {{Karhunen, Meri}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{“We are just trying to protect life; they want to throw us in jail for that?” Environmental Defenders’ Experiences and Perceptions of Repression and Criminalisation in Finland}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}