Parliamentarian Files Appeal to European Court of Human Rights after Finnish Supreme Court Convicts Her for “Insult” in 20-Year-Old Church Booklet
Long-serving Parliamentarian and grandmother Päivi Räsänen has been defending the right to free speech ever since authorities began attempting to silence her for expressing Christian beliefs on marriage and sexuality in a 2019 tweet. Following multiple police interrogations, she was charged with “hate speech” in April 2021.
After years of legal proceedings, the Finnish Supreme Court heard her case on 30 October 2025. This followed the state prosecutor’s appeal of a second unanimous court ruling that acquitted both Päivi and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the “hate speech” allegations related to their faith-based expressions.
In a narrow 3–2 decision, on 26 March 2026, the Finnish Supreme Court found Päivi guilty of “hate speech” on one charge relating to the expression of her beliefs on marriage and sexual ethics in a twenty-year-old church booklet. Päivi was criminally convicted for publishing the 2004 booklet for her church, alongside Bishop Pohjola. The conviction is for “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group.” The court unanimously acquitted Päivi for her 2019 Bible verse tweet.
The Supreme Court imposed criminal fines of several thousands of Euros and ruled that the impugned statements must be “removed from public access and destroyed.” In July 2026, Päivi filed her application to appeal her conviction to the European Court of Human Rights, continuing her seven-year legal battle and commencing the final legal juncture of this landmark case for freedom of speech in Europe.
“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.”
– Päivi Räsänen, Finnish Parliamentarian
Case Summary
Police investigations against Päivi 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, Päivi attended a total of thirteen hours of police interviews about her views. The Finnish Prosecutor General then brought three criminal charges against her at the end of April 2021.
Päivi was accused of having engaged in “hate speech” for publicly voicing her opinion on marriage and human sexuality in a 2004 church booklet, for comments made during a 2019 radio debate, and the tweet she directed at her church leadership. Bishop Juhana Pohjola, Chairman of the International Lutheran Council, and the Luther Foundation Finland were charged for having published the booklet that Päivi authored. The prosecution dropped the charge regarding the radio debate in its appeal to the Supreme Court.
Alliance Defending Freedom International has coordinated Päivi’s legal defence as she faced the courts to fight for everyone’s right to freely share their beliefs. In a unanimous ruling on 14 November 2023, the Helsinki Court of Appeal acquitted Päivi 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.
After the prosecutor appealed a second time, the Supreme Court, which heard the case in October 2025, ruled on two of the three original charges related to the tweet and the church booklet.
Päivi has now filed an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, alongside Bishop Pohjola and the Luther Foundation Finland. They will be represented before the European Court by Alliance Defending Freedom International.
Court aknowledged her text contained no incitement to hate or violence
The Court found Päivi, the Bishop and the Luther Foundation guilty for 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.” It held that: “it must be taken into account that the text forming the basis for the conviction did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred. The conduct is therefore not particularly serious in terms of the nature of the offence.”
The booklet was authored by Päivi in 2004. The Court convicted her on the basis that: “after a preliminary investigation into the matter was launched in 2019, Päivi continued to share the article on her own internet and social media pages in 2019 and 2020.”
With regard to the 2019 Bible verse tweet in which Päivi questioned her church leadership’s decision to sponsor a Pride event, the Court unanimously held that it did not meet the criteria for the offence of incitement as she “justified her opinion by citing a biblical text” among other things.
Fines and censorship
The Supreme Court imposed criminal fines of several thousands of Euros and ruled that the impugned statements must be “removed from public access and destroyed.”
Päivi 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 twelve grandchildren.
“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,” stated Lorcán Price, barrister at Alliance Defending Freedom International.
UK travel authorisation denied
In July 2026, Räsänen was informed that her Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) needed to travel to the UK had been cancelled, despite her application initially being approved in June. Bishop Pohjola also applied for an ETA and was denied clearance. Factors affecting eligibility for ETA include having a criminal conviction in the last 12 months.
The UK authorities explained that the information provided in her application suggested she was “not eligible for an ETA”. This prevented Räsänen from transiting through London’s Heathrow Airport in July, and raises concerns about future intended travel to the UK in the future.
European Court of Human Rights
In July 2026, Päivi filed her application to appeal her conviction to the European Court of Human Rights, continuing her seven-year legal battle and commencing the final legal juncture of this landmark case for freedom of speech in Europe.
“Appealing my conviction is about much more than a fine or a decades-old church booklet,” said Päivi after filing her appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. “My case stands to determine whether the fundamental rights of religious freedom and free speech are still protected in Finland and across Europe, and whether these societies are still willing to stand up for the rights of all – even those they disagree with.”
“Hate speech” laws that criminalise peaceful expression are incompatible with a truly democratic society. As a Member of Parliament and a Christian who has faced censorship and years of criminal investigation, I am profoundly aware of the devastating consequences of curtailing basic liberties. The European Court of Human Rights must decisively uphold these freedoms and promote the common good across Europe.
Lorcán Price, barrister at Alliance Defending Freedom International, who is representing Räsänen before the European Court, commented:
“Europe’s highest court must now decide whether European law will continue to protect the freedom to peacefully express one’s beliefs in the public square; because if peaceful expression like a decades-old church booklet can be criminalised and retroactively censored, free and open debate in Europe is no more. We urge the Court to admit this case, which presents a critical opportunity to reaffirm these basic freedoms and ensure that citizens are not prosecuted for peacefully expressing their beliefs.”