The Supreme Court of Finland heard the landmark case this week of the Finnish lawmaker who is accused of “hate speech” for publicly expressing her Christian beliefs.
This case marks the third and highest level of court proceedings in Päivi Räsänen’s years-long legal battle. The Supreme Court’s involvement comes after she was unanimously acquitted —first by the Helsinki District Court in 2022 and then by the Court of Appeal in 2023.
As CBN News has followed, the case began in 2019 when Räsänen tweeted the text of Romans 1:24-27, which condemns homosexuality as sinful. At the time, she was alarmed over a decision by her denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to support an LGBTQ Pride event, so she responded by sharing Scripture on her X account, sparking a criminal complaint.
Räsänen, Finland’s former Minister of the Interior, faces two criminal charges for expressing her deeply held biblical beliefs on marriage and sexuality – one charge for her tweet in 2019 and another for a 2004 pamphlet published by Bishop Juhana Pohjola.
Pohjola also stands accused for the Christian publication.
The high court heard arguments from the prosecution on Thursday, calling for Räsänen and Pohjola to be criminally convicted for “incitement against a group.”
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, the legal counsel representing the pair, argued the purpose of the pamphlet was “to defend the content of the Bible.”
“This case strikes at the heart of democracy: whether people are free to express their convictions without fear of state prosecution,” said Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International, in a statement.
Ahead of the trial, Räsänen said:
“In a free society, it should never be a crime to share a Bible verse or express beliefs rooted in faith. The burden of the legal ordeal of the past few years has been challenging, but I remain hopeful that justice will prevail — not only for me, but for the wider principle of free speech in Finland. No one should face criminal charges for peacefully voicing their convictions.”
If convicted, Räsänen and Pohjola face thousands of euros in fines and the censorship of the tweet and the church booklet, which express traditional Christian teachings.
A Global Test Case for Free Speech
The Supreme Court’s decision will determine not only the fate of the defendants but also set a precedent for the future of free speech and freedom of religion in Finland and across Europe, ADF International explained in a press release.
“This case is larger than me or Päivi Räsänen. It is about whether Finland will remain a country where freedom of speech and religion are respected in practice, not just in theory. The Christian message of marriage and sexuality has been taught for two millennia, and it should never be considered a crime to speak what Christians have always believed,” said Pohjola.
Coleman adds that the years-long legal battle has only hurt the country by creating a “climate of fear, signaling to others that certain opinions, including those grounded in faith, are unwelcome in public life.”
“In a democracy, no one should face criminal prosecution for expressing deeply held beliefs. Criminalizing peaceful speech through so-called ‘hate speech’ laws not only silences important conversations—it endangers democracy itself,” Coleman said. “Finland’s Supreme Court now has the opportunity to protect freedom of speech and set an example for the rest of Europe.”
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