In his recent New Year’s address, Finnish president Sauli Niinistö shocked many by discussing the still festering wounds of the 1918 Finnish Civil War. One hundred years ago, a red lantern was lit in the tower of the Helsinki Workers’ House late in the evening on January 26, signaling the beginning of brutal hostilities between Finland’s socialist Reds and its nationalist Whites.

Having just celebrated the centenary of their independence from Russia, Niinistö reminded Finns that “in the early days of independence we were not ‘together,’ but very badly apart. This cannot simply be swept away. We must have the courage to be honest about history, because only honesty creates a foundation for trust.”

Until recently, part of the “swept away” history of the Civil War were the stories of the Women’s Red Guards, and the brutal rapes and summary executions that followed their capture and internment in Finland’s concentration camps.