Finnish Member of Parliament on Trial Again for Tweeting a Bible Verse
Member of Finnish Parliament, Päivi Räsänen, is headed back to trial for the third time after state prosecutors appealed a lower court ruling earlier today. Räsänen is accused of inciting hate speech after sharing her Christian beliefs on social media. Despite a unanimous acquittal of all charges at the Helsinki District Court in March 2022, which was appealed and later upheld by the Helsinki Court of Appeal in November 2023, state prosecutors are viciously going after the parliamentarian and grandmother of eleven.
Also facing charges in this case is Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who published a booklet on biblical marriage that Räsänen helped write almost 20 years ago.
Finland’s Prosecutor General first brought these charges in April 2021, making this an almost 3-year legal battle Räsänen and Pohjola have endured. The first charges against Räsänen included “agitation against a minority group,” which fell under the ‘war crimes and crimes against humanity section’ of Finland’s criminal code.
Despite being targeted by her own government, Räsänen remains hopeful, telling ADF International that’s leading her defense, “After my full exoneration in two courts, I’m not afraid of a hearing before the Supreme Court. Even though I am fully aware that every trial carries risks, an acquittal from the Supreme Court would set an even stronger positive precedent for everyone’s right to free speech and religion.”
Read also : Finnish Politician Wins After Facing Jail Time For Sharing Bible Verse
