Finnish politician to appeal conviction in religious speech case

Finnish politician Päivi Räsänen said she plans to appeal her criminal conviction to Europe’s top human rights court. In March, the Finnish Supreme Court found Räsänen guilty of hate speech for a 20-year-old booklet called “Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity.” While the court cleared her of charges for a tweet she sent years ago showing a Bible passage, it fined Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola several thousand euros for authoring the booklet. Additionally, it ordered parts of the publication to be censored after the court characterized them as insulting to homosexuals as a group.

Räsänen said she will ask for this to be overturned by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, the highest court she can petition. Labeling opinions and views on sexuality as a crime seriously restricts freedom of expression, Räsänen said in an emailed statement. Peaceful discussion should not be labeled a crime, she added.

How could her case affect speech in Europe? Her case could carry ramifications for the freedom of speech across Europe, said Lorcán Price, an attorney at Alliance Defending Freedom International which represents Räsänen. She was found guilty under a subjective hate speech law in Finland, and other countries in Europe have passed similar laws, he said. These laws have been used to silence and criminalize peaceful expression of beliefs, he added. The European Court of Human Rights has an opportunity to protect fundamental rights, Price said, including the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion.

Räsänen, a parliamentarian, medical doctor, and grandmother of 12, was first charged with hate speech just over five years ago. She was charged with hate speech after questioning how the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland’s decision to partner with a Pride festival aligned with Romans 1:24-27. Finnish prosecutors later added charges regarding the booklet.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the Finnish Supreme Court’s mixed ruling against Räsänen.