Onni Happonen (21 May 1898 – 1 September 1930) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

politician representing the Social Democratic Party of Finland. He was kidnapped and murdered by the fascist Lapua Movement. Happonen was born in Pölläkkä,

Heinävesi Heinävesi () is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities are Savonlinna, Varka ...

Southern Savonia South Savo (or Southern Savonia; fi, Etelä-Savo; sv, Södra Savolax) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total are ...

. He was a construction entrepreneur and the chairman of the Heinävesi municipal council. As a politician, Happonen often argued with local landowners who were supporters or members of the Lapua Movement and the paramilitary right-wing White Guard. Together with the Ståhlberg kidnapping, the

Peasant March The Peasant March (, ) was a demonstration in Helsinki on 7 July 1930 by the far-right Lapua movement, attended by more than 12,000 supporters from all over the country. It was the most significant show of strength in the short history of the Lap ...

and the Mäntsälä rebellion, the Happonen murder is one of the major incidents involving the Lapua Movement.

Death

Happonen had already been kidnapped and beaten in July 1930. Instead of the police, Happonen contacted the Governor Albin Pulkkinen who ordered his protection. However, on 1 September 1930, a fascist mob rushed the council meeting at the Heinävesi town hall. Happonen fled to the back room where he tried to call a trusted policeman but the lines were cut off. Happonen then escaped through the window firing a warning shot, but as the pistol malfunctioned he was caught by the Lapua activists. The local police officer, who belonged to the staff of the Heinävesi White Guard, now arrested Happonen for the shooting, but instead of taken into custody, he was handed over to the mob. Happonen was forced to a car which drove towards

Joensuu Joensuu (; krl, Jovensuu; ) is a city and municipality in North Karelia, Finland, located on the northern shore of Lake Pyhäselkä (northern part of Lake Saimaa) at the mouth of the Pielinen River (''Pielisjoki''). It was founded in 1848. The ...

. The vehicle stopped near the Karvio Canal where Happonen was taken out and killed. Happonen's body was missing until July 1932 when it was found buried in

anthill An ant colony is a population of a single ant species capable to maintain its complete lifecycle. Ant colonies are eusocial, communal, and efficiently organized and are very much like those found in other social Hymenoptera, though the vario ...

on side of the

Varkaus Varkaus (before year 1929 ''Warkaus'') is a Middle- Savonian industrial town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region, between city of Kuopio and town of Savonlinna. ...

–Joensuu-highway, 45 kilometers from Heinävesi. According to the autopsy report, Happonen was severely beaten and killed by a neck shot.

Murder trial

Once Happonen's body was found, two local working men, Otto Pakarinen and Anselmi Puustinen, confessed to having carried out the murder. In November 1933, they were sentenced to nine years and six years, respectively, in prison. Seven Lapua Movement members from Kuopio were given sentences of between three and six months for having been involved in the kidnapping, but the local activists were not convicted. After hearing their sentences, Pakarinen and Puustinen announced that their testimony had been false, and that they had been given bribes on condition that they would plead guilty to the killing. They now insisted that they themselves had done no more than help to conceal Happonen's body, and that they did not know who the actual murderers were. Finally, the Supreme Court dropped the charges against Puustinen; on the other hand, the court upheld the conviction of Pakarinen. To this day, the real assassins of Happonen remain unknown.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Happonen, Onni 1898 births 1930 deaths 1930s missing person cases Deaths by firearm in Finland Finnish murder victims Formerly missing people Kidnapped people Male murder victims Missing person cases in Finland People from Heinävesi Social Democratic Party of Finland politicians Unsolved murders in Finland