Finland’s Supreme Court is to listen to a landmark free speech case on Thursday involving parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola.
In a legal battle that has spanned years, the pair are accused of hate speech for publicly expressing Christian views on marriage and sexuality.
The case stems from a 2019 tweet by Räsänen, former Finnish Minister of the Interior, which quoted a Bible verse questioning her church’s support for a Pride event, and a pamphlet in regards to the Christian perspective of marriage co-published with Pohjola.
They were later charged with “agitation against a minority group” under Finland’s criminal code, a provision that falls inside laws addressing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
They were acquitted by the Helsinki District Court in 2022 after which the Court of Appeal in 2023, with each ruling that their comments were protected by freedom of expression and religion.
The prosecution didn’t accept the verdicts and has appealed to the Supreme Court, which is able to now issue a final judgment expected in the approaching months. If convicted, Räsänen and Pohjola may very well be fined hundreds of euros and be forced to censor the tweet and pamphlet.
Räsänen said before the hearing that she hoped the choice would affirm freedom of speech in Finland.
“In a free society, it should never be against the law to share a Bible verse or express beliefs rooted in faith,” she said.
“The burden of the legal ordeal of the past few years has been difficult, but I remain hopeful that justice will prevail — not just for me, but for the broader principle of free speech in Finland. No one should face criminal charges for peacefully voicing their convictions.”
Pohjola said the case “is larger than me or Päivi Räsänen,” describing it as a test of whether Finland will proceed to guard free expression and spiritual belief.
“The process has been long, and that’s why I’m pleased that it’s coming to an end. I sit up for the oral hearing with confidence, where we will, with a transparent conscience and openly, express how every one has an inviolable human dignity and what the Christian view of marriage means,” he said.
“This case is larger than me or Päivi Räsänen. It is about whether Finland will remain a rustic where freedom of speech and religion are respected in practice, not only in theory.
“The Christian message of marriage and sexuality has been taught for 2 millennia, and it should never be considered against the law to talk what Christians have at all times believed.”
The proceedings have drawn international attention from legal and spiritual freedom groups who view the case as a test of how European democracies balance hate speech laws with freedom of faith and expression.
ADF International, which is supporting the defence, said the prosecution “creates a climate of fear”. It has urged the court to uphold the lower courts’ previous rulings.
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