The government is proposing to add a provision to the criminal code to outlaw Holocaust denial and other serious international crimes.

Suggesting that the Holocaust did not happen will become a punishable offence, with the penalty ranging from a fine to two years’ imprisonment.

The government submitted the legislative proposal to Parliament on Thursday, with the law expected to come into force this autumn.

The Finnish government proposal is based on the EU’s framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia.