Finland’s Supreme Court will hear the case of a politician facing “hate crime” charges over her Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality.
On Friday, the Supreme Court of Finland announced that it would hear the case of Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen, who is facing state charges related to her sharing a 2019 tweet that included pictures of Bible verses and a pamphlet on marriage she wrote back in 2004. The charges were previously dismissed by the district court and the Helsinki Court of Appeal.
The case will now be heard by the Supreme Court, Finland’s top court for private law cases. The state prosecutors want the court to fine Räsänen tens of thousands of Euros and want her to be censored. Bishop Juhana Pohjola will be tried at the same time on similar charges for publishing Räsänen’s writings on marriage.
Charges were brought against them after Räsänen publicly questioned why the church denomination she was part of was sponsoring an LGBT “Pride” celebration. She was accused of “agitation against a minority group,” under the section of “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in Finnish law.
Räsänen said Friday that she has a “peaceful mind” and is “ready to continue to defend free speech and freedom of religion before the Supreme Court, and if need be, also before the European Court of Human Rights.”
The member of parliament, who is being backed by the Alliance Defending Freedom International, added that the investigation into her had been going on for nearly five and that the outcome would have major implications for free expression.
“This was not just about my opinions, but about everyone’s freedom of expression,” she said. “I hope that with the ruling of the Supreme Court, others would not have to undergo the same ordeal. I have considered it a privilege and an honor to defend freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state.”
The case has garnered international attention, with Republican lawmakers in the United States urging the State Department Officials to step in and support Räsänen.
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“This is a watershed case in the story of Europe’s creeping censorship,” said Paul Coleman of the Alliance Defending Freedom International. “In a democratic Western nation in 2024, nobody should be on trial for their faith – yet throughout the prosecution of Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola, we have seen something akin to a ‘heresy’ trial, where Christians are dragged through court for holding beliefs that differ from the approved orthodoxy of the day.”
