his training in sociology at the University of Helsinki, where he defended his PhD in 2006, and has a title of a docent (not an indication of a teaching position or employment) of the sociology of law. He also has a title of a docent in criminology at the University of Turku and the University of Eastern Finland. Private life Johan Bäckman is the son of Erkki Bäckman who was the Managing Director of Hartwall beverage company. Johan Bäckman has litigated over child custody against his Soviet-born ex-wife for years in which both parties have received sentences for libel. Bäckman's current family consists of a girl and two boys. His wife is a Russian language and literature teacher. According to Helsingin Sanomat, Bäckman has been treated with caution in the Finnish public media because he is sensitive to what he considers to be journalistic libel. According to the newspaper he has won in court twice and he has also been convicted of libel twice in July 2009. Bäckman wrote a letter to the editor saying he had won seven libel cases during past couple of years, not two, as the paper claimed. Bäckman wrote he won the cases against five persons, all of whom are female Finnish citizens. Bäckman has a child from a previous relationship with Jaana Niemi. Niemi was born in the Soviet Union with Finnish origins, but was brought up in Russian culture. The family also spoke Finnish. In 1990, Niemi, then aged 15, moved from the Soviet Union to Finland. Bäckman and Niemi's relationship lasted six months and ended in a confrontational way. A daughter was born in 2004. Soon after, Bäckman sued Jaana Niemi, her parents and friends dozens of times. Most of the cases ended in pretrial investigations, but Bäckman has represented himself in court in a few cases. The Finnish court Hovioikeus convicted Niemi once, and Bäckman was convicted twice. Niemi lives now in Milan, Italy. Awards The highest legal award of Russia "Femida" (2013) Russian Writers' Union literature prize "Polar Star" (2012) Marshal Govorov literature prize (2004) Works See also Jon Hellevig Janus Putkonen References Sources eesti.ca 4 December 2008: Jarmo Virmavirta: väljakutse iseseisvusele PM External links Johan Bäckman in Estonian Research Portal Johan Bäckman at the University of Turku Авторы Центр координации «Новая Русь» 1971 births Living people Finnish bloggers Finnish political activists Finnish sociologists Historical negationism Finnish conspiracy theorists People