The war-responsibility trials were a series of trials where anyone that had something to do with the continuation or starting of the war in Finland during the Continuation war were prosecuted and forced to resign. It meant that political leaders of Finland and other members of society were declared guilty for the war. This was demanded by the Allies in the conditions of the armistice in 1944.

The Finnish public regarded this as a mockery of rule of law. The armistice was seen as contradictory to the Finnish constitution. J.K Paasikivi, who was the prime minister of Finland at the time has been recorded to have stated, that the conditions of the armistice concerning this matter neglected all laws.

However, unlike other nations that were declared guilty, Finland was given the liberty to conduct the trials within Finland and with a Finnish jury and judges. The Russians that had tight grip over Finland set up an observing comittee to observe these trials and interfered on numerous occasions before the end of the trials in February of 1946.

Sources: Ajasta Aikaan - Suomen historian käännekohtia (trans. Turning points in Finland's history) Anja Rosendahl & Olavi Saija, WSOY 1995