Freedom of speech | Päivi Räsänen: Finland
Prosecutor appeals Bible-tweet case to Finnish Supreme Court
- Who: Päivi Räsänen
- Where: Helsinki
- Advocacy Team: Paul Coleman
Topic | Freedom of Speech
The Finnish state prosecutor has appealed the second unanimous court decision that exonerated Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola of “hate speech” allegations for sharing their faith-based beliefs. The prosecution is demanding tens of thousands of Euros in fines and insisting that Räsänen’s and Pohjola’s publications be censored. The Supreme Court will next decide whether to admit the case.
In a unanimous ruling on 14 November 2023, the Helsinki Court of Appeal acquitted Räsänen and the bishop of the „hate speech“ charges that the state prosecutor had levelled against them. The decision confirmed the District Court’s March 2022 acquittal.
The Finnish Prosecutor General had brought three criminal charges against Päivi Räsänen at the end of April 2021. The medical doctor, mother of five, and grandmother of eleven was accused of having engaged in “hate speech” for publicly voicing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality in a 2004 church pamphlet, for comments made during a 2019 radio debate, and a tweet she directed at her church leadership. The prosecution has dropped the charge regarding the radio debate in its appeal to the Supreme Court. Bishop Pohjola, the Chairman of the International Lutheran Council, was charged for having published the pamphlet that Räsänen authored.
“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.”
Case summary
Police investigations against Räsänen started in June 2019. As an active member of the Finnish Lutheran church, she addressed the leadership of her church and questioned its official sponsorship of the LGBT event ‘Pride 2019’, accompanied by an image of a Bible text. Over several months, Räsänen attended a total of thirteen hours of police interviews about her views and had to wait over a year for the General Prosecutor to decide whether to continue with the prosecution. That decision was made in April 2021. Supported by ADF International Räsänen faced the courts to fight for everyone’s right to freely share their beliefs.
Päivi Räsänen has served as a member of the Finnish Parliament since 1995, and was Minister of the Interior from 2011-2015. She is a medical doctor, mother of five children, and has eleven grandchildren.
“Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of democracy. The Finnish Prosecutor General’s decision to bring these charges against Dr. Räsänen creates a culture of fear and censorship. If committed civil servants like Päivi Räsänen are criminally charged and tried for voicing their deeply held beliefs, it creates a chilling effect for everyone’s right to speak freely, ”said Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International and author of “Censored“.
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