Waiting game for Finnish free speech case

Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen remains “hopeful that justice will prevail” as she faces a waiting game following the hearing of her landmark free speech case at the Finnish Supreme Court.

The latest court involvement means her case will now rumble into its seventh year, despite her having been acquitted in two lower courts.

As we have previously reported, Räsänen, the former leader of the Christian Democrat Party, was charged with "agitation against a minority group" in 2019, after she shared her Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality in a church pamphlet, on the radio, and on social media.

Despite having been cleared of all charges in the District Court of Helsinki and the Finnish Court of Appeal in 2022 and 2023, prosecutors have appealed to the nation’s highest court, where her case is now being deliberated following the hearing, alongside that of Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who has been charged for publishing the pamphlet which included her views.

As reported by Evangelical Focus, prosecutors did not ask Räsänen any questions during the hearing but accused her of stating that homosexuals should be considered “inferior” to others. Her defence attorney subsequently relayed that she had in fact expressed that all should be treated equally.

Räsänen told en: “I am grateful for how God has sustained me through this entire process. Thanks to Him, I have never felt alone. The burden of the legal ordeal of the past few years has been challenging, but I remain hopeful that justice will prevail, not only for me, but for the wider principle of free speech in Finland.

“No one should face criminal charges for peacefully voicing their convictions. This case has never been just about my personal expressions, but about everyone’s right to express deeply held beliefs without fear of censorship or punishment.”