The Finnish Supreme Court has found MP Päivi Räsänen guilty of hate speech related to her expression of her Christian beliefs on marriage and sexual ethics in a 20-year-old church pamphlet. Räsänen has been criminally convicted with her co-author alongside Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola. The conviction is for “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group”.
The long serving parliamentarian and former Minister of the Interior has been convicted for “hate speech” under a section of the Finnish criminal code titled “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The Court found Räsänen and the Bishop guilty for having “made available to the public and kept available to the public opinions that insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation”. It held that: “it must be taken into account that the text forming the basis for the conviction did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred. The conduct is therefore not particularly serious in terms of the nature of the offense”.
The pamphlet was authored by Räsänen in 2004. The Court convicted her on the basis that: “after a preliminary investigation into the matter was launched in 2019, Räsänen continued to share the article on her own internet and social media pages in 2019 and 2020”.
Räsänen has faced a complicated series of trials with the pamplet charge, with previous acquitals in lower courts now overturned. The medical doctor and grandmother of twelve was tried in early 2022 and again in 2023 for expressing her beliefs in a 2019 tweet, which included a Bible verse, in addition to a 2019 radio debate and 2004 church booklet.
The tweet quoted Romans 1:24–27 and questioned how the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland could sponsor an LGBT Pride event, asking how what Scripture calls “shame and sin” could be presented as “a matter of pride.” The court found the Court unanimously held that it did not meet the criteria for the offence of incitement as she “justified her opinion by citing a biblical text” among other things.
Before the Court of Appeal, the Finnish State prosecutor, Anu Mantila, claimed that, “You can cite the Bible, but it is Räsänen’s interpretation and opinion about the Bible verses that are criminal”.
Räsänen faces criminal fines of several thousands of Euros and has ruled that the pamplet’s statements must be “removed from public access and destroyed.”
Before the Court of Appeal, the Finnish State prosecutor, Anu Mantila, claimed that, “You can cite the Bible, but it is Räsänen’s interpretation and opinion about the Bible verses that are criminal”.
Coordinated by ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom) International, Räsänen’s legal defense highlighted the strong protection that freedom of speech enjoys in international law, in addition to being integral to Finnish democracy.
“Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy. It is right that the Court has acquitted Päivi Räsänen for her 2019 Bible verse tweet. However, the conviction for a simple church pamphlet published decades ago – before the law under which she has been convicted was even passed – is an outrageous example of state censorship. This decision will create a severe chilling effect for everyone’s right to speak freely,” stated Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International.
“This ruling is a stark reminder that no democracy is immune from the erosion of fundamental freedoms. Punishing peaceful expression, especially when it is based on deeply held religious convictions, undermines the very foundation of free societies,” said Kristen Waggoner, CEO, President, and Chief Counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom.
Image: Päivi Räsänen. Image Credit: ADF