Seven-year case reaches climax

Päivi Räsänen’s long-running “hate speech” case is set to go all the way to the Finnish Supreme Court, following two unanimous acquittals in lower courts. The latest development will see the high-profile case involving the Finnish MP move into its seventh year.

As previously covered by en, the former leader of the Christian Democrat party was initially charged for the agitation of a minority group after she shared her Christian views on issues including marriage and sexuality and criticised the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland for its involvement in LGBT Pride events. She has spoken about such issues in a variety of settings, including on radio broadcasts, in a church pamphlet and on social media.

Now, despite having been cleared of all wrongdoing twice in lower courts, prosecutors have appealed the latest judgement, meaning the case will be heard by the highest court in the nation. Advocacy organisation ADF International is assisting with her legal defence.

Räsänen, who is the wife of a Lutheran pastor and a mother of five, said: “It isn’t a crime to tweet a Bible verse, or to engage in public discourse from a Christian perspective. The attempts to criminalise me for expressing my beliefs have resulted in an immensely trying last few years, but I still hope for a positive result that will stand as a key precedent to protect the human right to free speech in Finland.”

The case will be heard on 30 October, seven years after she first faced criminal charges for tweeting a Bible verse in 2019.