Bible tweet case appealed to Finnish Supreme Court

Finnish prosecutors plan to appeal a second unanimous “not guilty” court decision, according to a statement Friday from Alliance Defending Freedom International. In 2021, Finnish authorities charged former Minister of the Interior Päivi Räsänen with “hate speech” after she posted a photo of some Bible verses from the book of Romans on X, previously Twitter, in 2019. The Helsinki Court of Appeals decision—which prosecutors are now appealing—followed a previous unanimous “not guilty” verdict at the district court level. Finland’s Supreme Court would be next in line to hear the case.

This is all about a tweet? An investigation expanded to include a radio interview she had about marriage and ethics that same year, and even a church pamphlet she wrote 15 years earlier, according to ADF. Räsänen has served as a member of Finland’s parliament for nearly 40 years.

Dig deeper: Read Liz Lykin’s report in World Tour about Räsänen’s second court victory.