CV NEWS FEED // A Finnish parliamentarian who has already stood trial twice for publicly sharing her Christian views on marriage and sexuality now faces trial once more in the Supreme Court of Finland.
Alliance Defending Freedom International, a non profit Christian law firm representing Parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen, stated in a news release that the Supreme Court confirmed on April 19 Räsänen’s third trial.
CatholicVote reported in November that Räsänen was acquitted of charges accusing her of hate speech in both the Helsinki District Court and the Court of Appeal. The charges came when the State prosecutor filed a complaint against her for publicly expressing her belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.
Despite her previous acquittals, the Finnish prosecutors launched an appeal to the Supreme Court, seeking once again to impose heavy fines on Räsänen for “agitation against a minority group.”
CatholicVote reported that Räsänen had posted on X in 2019 questioning the decision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church to sponsor an LGBT “pride” event. Räsänen, a devout Lutheran, has also served as a long-time member of parliament and was formerly Finland’s Minister of the Interior.
A police investigation of the post found a 2004 pamphlet that Räsänen had written for her church called “As Man and Woman He Created Them.” Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who published Räsänen’s pamphlet, also faced charges. He was also acquitted twice with Räsänen, and will stand trial before the Supreme Court as well.
According to ADF International, “Räsänen said that she 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.”
“This was not just about my opinions, but about everyone’s freedom of expression,” Räsänen continued:
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.
ADF International Executive Director Paul Coleman said in the news release: “This is a watershed case in the story of Europe’s creeping censorship.”
“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,” he said.
“The state’s insistence on continuing this prosecution after almost five long years, despite such clear and unanimous rulings from the lower courts is alarming,” he concluded:
The process is the punishment in such instances, resulting in a chill on free speech for all citizens observing. ADF International will continue to stand alongside Räsänen and Pohjola every step of the way as they face their next day in court. Their right to speak freely is everyone’s right to speak freely.
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