In a 3-2 decision, the Finnish Supreme Court on March 26 found Päivi Räsänen guilty of “hate speech” for a 2004 church pamphlet expressing Biblical beliefs about marriage and sexual ethics. At the same time, the court unanimously acquitted her on a charge stemming from tweeting a Bible verse in 2019.
Two lower courts had acquitted her on all the charges, but the Supreme Court found Räsänen and co-defendant Juhana Pohjola, a Lutheran bishop who published the pamphlet, guilty of 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.”
“I am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression,” Räsänen said after receiving the judgment. “I stand by the teachings of my Christian faith, and will continue to defend my and every person’s right to share their convictions in the public square.”
Räsänen, a physician who is a member of the Finnish Parliament, added that she is considering a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
“This is not about my free speech alone, but that of every person in Finland,” she said. “A positive ruling would help to prevent other innocent people from experiencing the same ordeal for simply sharing their beliefs.”
Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International, which represents Räsänen, pointed out the egregious and far-reaching nature of the ruling:
“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.”
Commenting on X, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, who previously served as the chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said:
“A new dark age is descending upon Europe as governments restrict the truth because it is seen as offensive by some.
“When truth is labeled as harm and conviction is treated as a crime, freedom doesn’t vanish in a moment; it fades into the darkness, one silenced voice at a time.
“And if the West, the U.S. in particular, fails to recognize it, we will not just observe it—we will inherit it.”