Finnish MP acquitted over Bible tweet but convicted over church pamphlet

The Finnish Supreme Court has acquitted parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen over a Bible verse which she tweeted in 2019. However, on a separate charge, they found her guilty of “hate speech” in a church pamphlet over twenty years old.

The Court unanimously acquitted Räsänen regarding her tweet from 2019 where she criticised her church leadership for sponsoring a Pride event. They found that the message did not meet the criteria for the offence of incitement.

Räsänen was, however, convicted for “hate speech” over a pamphlet she wrote for her church in 2004, under part of the Finnish criminal code entitled “war crimes and crimes against humanity”. The publication expressed her views on marriage and sexual ethics in relation to her Christian beliefs. The Supreme Court found her 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”.

Testifying before the Court of Appeal, Finnish State prosecutor, Anu Mantila, said: “You can cite the Bible, but it is Räsänen’s interpretation and opinion about the Bible verses that are criminal”.

Commenting on the verdict Räsänen said: “I am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression. 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.”

She added: “This is not about my free speech alone, but that of every person in Finland. 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, who coordinated Räsänen’s legal defence said: ”Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy. It is right that the Court has acquitted Päivi Räsänen for her 2019 Bible verse tweet. However, 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”.