Is beastilality and zoophilia banned in finland

1. The headline claim: where the reporting comes from

A widely cited BBC News roundup from 2015 stated that after Denmark’s ban, “Hungary, Finland and Romania are now the only EU countries where bestiality, or zoophilia, is legal,” and that statement is the origin for many later references to Finland’s legal position ^[1]. Activist petitions and campaigning pages pick up and amplify that line, explicitly saying bestiality is “still LEGAL in Finland, Hungary and Romania,” and urging legislators to change the law ^{[2] [4]}.

2. What activists and petitions say — strong rhetoric, clear demand

Multiple petitions argue that “it’s perfectly legal to rape or perform other sadistic sexual acts on an animal” in Finland and call for bans and stronger animal-welfare laws ^[2]. Those pages present statistics about fur farming and related welfare concerns as part of a broader campaign to reform Finland’s animal legislation ^[2]. These sources are advocacy-driven and frame the absence of an explicit criminal ban as a serious legal gap ^{[2] [4]}.

3. The specialist legal view: databases show national animal-welfare law exists

A legal resource listing animal laws in Finland confirms there is national-level legislation addressing animal protection and welfare; it catalogs statutory material but the excerpts in the material provided do not state whether sexual acts with animals are specifically criminalized under Finnish penal law ^[3]. In short, specialist compilations confirm Finland has laws on animal welfare but, in the supplied snippet, do not resolve whether bestiality is expressly outlawed ^[3].

4. Where the gaps and uncertainties are — what the provided sources do not say

Available sources do not mention any Finnish criminal statute text, court decisions, or government statements that definitively confirm whether bestiality is currently a stand‑alone criminal offence in Finland. The BBC piece and petitions assert legality by contrast with countries that had explicit bans, but the legal database extract provided does not offer the statutory language needed to verify that assertion ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Therefore the supplied reporting establishes reason to believe Finland was described as an exception, but does not include full primary legal texts to prove the present criminal status.

5. Competing perspectives and how to weigh them

The BBC’s 2015 reportage is a mainstream-media source stating Finland was among the few EU countries lacking an explicit ban ^[1]. Advocacy sites reiterate that claim passionately and use it to mobilize public pressure ^{[2] [4]}. The legal database confirms national animal-welfare law exists but does not, in the provided excerpt, back up or contradict the BBC’s specific legal claim ^[3]. The reasonable journalistic conclusion from these materials is that credible reporting and activists identified Finland as an exception — but the primary statutes or official government confirmations are not included here.

6. What to check next for a conclusive answer

To reach a definitive legal conclusion you need the current Finnish Penal Code or the consolidated animal‑protection statutes (text or official commentary), parliamentary records of any amendments since 2015, or an authoritative government/legal database entry explicitly stating whether sexual acts with animals are criminalized. Those documents are not present in the supplied sources (not found in current reporting).

7. Bottom line for readers

Based on the provided reporting, Finland has been publicly described as one of the EU countries where bestiality lacked an explicit statutory ban at least as of the coverage referenced ^{[1] [2]}. However, the supplied legal compilation does not include the statutory wording needed to confirm that status conclusively ^[3]. For a legally definitive answer, consult up‑to‑date Finnish legal texts or an official government/legal database.