In 2019, Päivi Maria Räsänen, a Finnish politician with strong religious views, faced an investigation for incitement after expressing criticism towards the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland’s involvement in LGBT Pride events.
Ms. Räsänen was hit with three charges of incitement against a minority group. These charges fell under a section of Finnish law that criminalizes “war crimes and crimes against humanity”. To compound matters, each charge carries a potential prison sentence of up to two years.
Specifically, Räsänen, a former Minister of the Interior in Finland, was charged for expressing her religious beliefs on marriage and sexual ethics. These views were shared in a tweet in 2019 and a pamphlet she wrote for her church two decades ago, both of which focused on a Biblical passage condemning same-sex relations.
Divided into two parts, the trial captured the attention of media outlets all around the world. The first part of the trial took place on January 24th of 2022, and the second part on February 14th.
Despite being acquitted unanimously of “hate speech” charges by both the Helsinki District Court and the Court of Appeal, the 64-year-old Christian grandmother’s ordeal is far from over.
That’s because it was recently announced that Räsänen will face a third trial.
Ms. Räsänen told Gript that Finnish legislation does not specifically mention “hate speech”, but it does mention “agitation against minorities”. This law has been in effect since 2011. Although “the law was intended to prevent speech that may lead to ethnic violence or even genocide” she believes that it “is now being used to prosecute my speech concerning my beliefs and classical Christianity”.
“But,” added Räsänen, “an even more dangerous problem would be the resulting censorship: an order to remove social media updates or a ban on posting. That sentence would open the floodgates to a ban on similar publications and the threat of modern book burnings”.
For the past five years, Räsänen’s life has been, in her own words, full of “untrue accusations, several long police interrogations totaling more than 13 hours, preparations for court hearings, the District Court hearing, and a hearing in the Court of Appeal,”
“Despite the ordeal and stressful times,” she emphasized the fact that “it has been a privilege and honor to have this calling, to defend the constitutional freedoms and the biblical truths. I am grateful for all the thousands of supporters and prayers around the world who have encouraged me, my legal team, and my family”
Her supporters say that whatever your thoughts may be on “biblical truths” and the LGBT community, the idea of being sent to prison for a tweet should concern any readers who cares about freedom of speech.
Is she worried about the upcoming trial? Not particularly. As Räsänen noted, “I am optimistic because already altogether six judges from two courts have not found anything illegal from my texts. Now the Supreme Court of Finland will also examine the texts. I can only understand this all from the point of view that this case is a precedent. This court case is historic for freedom of expression and religion”.
The central issue in the trial revolves around the permissibility of sharing and publicly endorsing the teachings of the Bible. The decision made by the Supreme Court, according to Räsänen, is poised to greatly influence legislation across Europe. In other words, readers in Ireland and all across the EU should pay close attention to Ms. Räsänen’s case — or dare I say, persecution.
As for how she has been – and continues to be – treated by the press in her homeland, Räsänen told Gript that “Finnish society and media are quite divided and there exists a variety of opinions. The biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has taken a stand in editorials in favor of lgbt advocates, who would like to see me convicted”. “But”, she was quick to add, “I am happy that the media has reported mostly quite neutrally about this case, especially after the positive decisions of the courts. I am glad that I have had a chance to point out some of the false claims the prosecutor has made about my views”.
For example, she has been falsely accused by the prosecutor of claiming that LGBT people were not created by God and that she regards them as inferior. “That this has been presented as my view in the media,” she stated, “has saddened and offended me, and I am sorry that this erroneous statement has spread even to the international media. So, the most difficult thing for me has been the spreading of false accusations about my opinions that are based on the Bible”.