- Päivi Räsänen, former Finnish Minister of the Interior, faces third court hearing after two previous unanimous acquittals
- Räsänen faces criminal charges for sharing her faith-based beliefs on marriage and sexuality, including on X in 2019
- ADF International continues to coordinate Räsänen’s defence to protect everyone’s right to free speech
HELSINKI (25 August 2025) – The Finnish Supreme Court has set the date for an oral hearing in the free speech case involving Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola. Both were previously unanimously acquitted of “hate speech” charges by two lower courts after publicly expressing their Christian beliefs. With the hearing scheduled for 30th October 2025, the state prosecutor’s censorship campaign against Räsänen and Pohjola will enter its seventh year.
“It is shocking that after two unanimous acquittals, Päivi Räsänen is again being dragged to court to defend her fundamental right to freedom of speech. As we have warned for years, vaguely worded ‘hate speech’ laws allow ideological prosecutions like this to take place. We stand behind Päivi and we will continue to work toward the bigger victory when such ludicrous cases are no longer brought. In a free and democratic society, all should be allowed to share their beliefs without fear of punishment.
Charged for sharing Christan beliefs
Räsänen, who is a medical doctor, Finland’s former Interior Minister, and a parliamentarian since 1995, was formally charged with “agitation against a minority group” in 2021. She was charged under a section of the Finnish criminal code titled “war crimes and crimes against humanity” for sharing her Christian beliefs on marriage and sexual ethics in a 2019 tweet, as well as a 2019 live radio debate and 2004 church pamphlet. Bishop Pohjola was charged for publishing Räsänen’s 2004 pamphlet.
The high-profile lower court trials received significant global attention, particularly after the prosecution attacked core Christian teachings and cross-examined Räsänen and the Bishop on their theology in the court hearings.
“It isn’t a crime to tweet a Bible verse, or to engage in public discourse from a Christian perspective. The attempts to criminalize me for expressing my beliefs have resulted in an immensely trying last few years, but I still hope for a positive result that will stand as a key precedent to protect the human right to free speech in Finland,” said Räsänen, grandmother of twelve.
Censorship campaign persists despite court acquittals
Two lower instance courts had previously acquitted Räsänen and Pohjola in April 2022 and November 2023 of all three charges. The prosecutor appealed for a third time, taking the charges concerning the booklet and the tweet to the Supreme Court, which will hear oral arguments on 30th October 2025.
Coordinated by ADF International, Räsänen’s legal defence will continue to highlight the strong protection that freedom of speech enjoys in international law, in addition to being integral to Finnish democracy.
The defence previously submitted to the court that Räsänen’s use of the word “sin” in her tweet, which the prosecution had highlighted as “insulting” and therefore unlawful, was quoted directly from the Bible, and any judgment condemning its usage would directly condemn the Bible itself.
The Bible on Trial
During the high-profile trial before the Court of Appeal in 2023, the prosecution frequently attacked core Christian teachings and cross-examined Räsänen – who is one of Finland’s longest-standing members of parliament – and the Bishop on their theology.
The Finnish State prosecutor, Anu Mantila, claimed that, “You can cite the Bible, but it is Räsänen’s interpretation and opinion about the Bible verses that are criminal”.
To learn more details about the case and to support Päivi Räsänen, visit www.ADFinternational.org/FreeSpeechOnTrial
Images for free use in print or online in relation to this story only with credit to ADF International.
(from left to right: Päivi Räsänen, Räsänen with Paul Coleman, Räsänen with her husband Niilo)
