Päivi Räsänen ‘shocked and profoundly upset’ after being convicted over pamphlet

Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen has been criminally convicted for publishing a pamphlet through which she expressed a standard view of marriage and sexuality. 

The Finnish Supreme Court found her guilty of “hate speech” on one charge regarding the beliefs she expressed within the 2004 pamphlet. 

Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who co-published the pamphlet, was also convicted. 

The Supreme Court found them guilty since the pamphlet was “made available to the general public and kept available to the general public opinions that insult homosexuals as a gaggle on the idea of their sexual orientation”. 

The judgment added that “after a preliminary investigation into the matter was launched in 2019, Räsänen continued to share the article on her own web and social media pages in 2019 and 2020”. 

She was unanimously acquitted of a 2019 Bible verse tweet through which she criticised her church’s decision to sponsor a Pride event. The court unanimously held that it didn’t meet the standards for the offence of incitement as she “justified her opinion by citing a biblical text” amongst other things. 

She and the bishop now face fines of several thousand euros and the court has ordered that the offending statements be “faraway from public access and destroyed”. 

Räsänen, who’s the previous Minister of the Interior, was convicted under a piece of the Finnish criminal code titled “war crimes and crimes against humanity”. She had previously been acquitted on all charges by two lower courts. 

She admitted she was “shocked” by Thursday’s verdict and said she is now considering taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights. 

“I’m shocked and profoundly upset that the court has failed to acknowledge my basic human right to freedom of expression. I stand by the teachings of my Christian faith, and can proceed to defend my and all and sundry’s right to share their convictions in the general public square,” she said. 

“I’m taking legal advice on a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. This will not be about my free speech alone, but that of all and sundry in Finland. A positive ruling would help to forestall other innocent people from experiencing the identical ordeal for simply sharing their beliefs.”  

Speaking to reporters later, she said the mixed final result “sends a troubling and contradictory message concerning the state of fundamental freedoms in Finland”, but that she was trusting in God and believed “there may be some purpose” to her seven-year legal battle. She also said the ruling wouldn’t stop her from expressing her beliefs. 

“On the one hand the court has affirmed that expressing one’s beliefs – even on matters which may be considered controversial – will not be a criminal offense. That is a crucial recognition,” she said. 

“No democratic society can function without the robust protection of free speech, including the liberty to specific religious convictions in the general public square. The final acquittal on this charge is a key victory in protecting free speech. 

“On the opposite hand, by convicting me for expressing beliefs in a unique context, the court has drawn an unclear, and I feel, dangerous line.”

Commenting on the decision, Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, said, “Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy. It is true that the Court has acquitted Päivi Räsänen for her 2019 Bible verse tweet.

“However, the conviction for an easy church pamphlet published many years 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 everybody’s right to talk freely.”

Mr Coleman told reporters later that the ruling “sets a recent low bar at no cost speech in Europe”, and is prone to have ramifications beyond Finland because of similar “vaguely worded” hate speech laws in other European countries.

He further warned that by cherry picking passages from a booklet published over 20 years ago, and before the law used as the idea for the prosecution had even come into existence, the decision had created “unattainable legal standards” and blurred the road between free speech and criminality. 

ADF CEO, Kristen Waggoner, said, “This ruling is a stark reminder that no democracy is immune from the erosion of fundamental freedoms. Punishing peaceful expression, especially when it is predicated on deeply held religious convictions, undermines the very foundation of free societies.”