Dr. Päivi Räsänen, the Finnish politician who was victorious in court this past November after facing a years-long legal battle for sharing her biblical views on sexuality, is back in the prosecution’s crosshairs.
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Räsänen’s attorneys with ADF International released a statement Friday revealing the Finnish state prosecutor is appealing the case to Finland’s Supreme Court, potentially forcing Räsänen to once again defend her religious freedom rights.
But the member of parliament and former interior secretary said she’s not fearful of what’s to come if the Supreme Court does decide to take up the case.
“After my full exoneration in two courts, I’m not afraid of a hearing before the Supreme Court,” Räsänen said in a statement. “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.”
Even if Räsänen loses at the Supreme Court, she said she is prepared to take the case outside of her country to affirm her rights, fighting back against the hate speech charges she has incessantly faced throughout her years-long struggle.
“If the Court decided to overturn the lower courts’ acquittals, I am ready to defend freedom of speech and religion as far as the European Court of Human rights, if necessary,” she continued.
While Räsänen’s case has reportedly carried a risk of jail time upon conviction, ADF International said the prosecution wants “tens of thousands of Euros in fines” and censorship of a decades-old pamphlet written by Räsänen on the topic of biblical marriage.
Bishop Juhana Pohjola, a faith leader in Finland who published the pamphlet, is also facing charges.
After the Helsinki Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the three criminal charges against in November, Räsänen told CBN Digital she was “grateful and relieved,” though she knew the chance of an appeal was possible. The deadline to file the appeal was Jan. 15, 2024.
“[The] acquittal was very clear and the result of the court was very clear,” Räsänen said at the time. “The prosecutor, she’s able to appeal to the Supreme Court. … And she said that she’s considering it.”
As CBN Digital reported, Räsänen’s plight began June 17, 2019, when she tweeted the text of Romans 1:24-27, which condemns homosexuality as sinful. She was alarmed at the time 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.
Then, a pamphlet detailing biblical views on sexuality she wrote nearly 20 years ago and a radio interview also landed her in legal hot water, culminating in a trial last year. She was acquitted in the first legal battle before the prosecutor appealed and ended up in court again in the most recent legal debacle.
In the latest trial, Räsänen said the prosecutor argued she’s allowed to “believe in her mind whatever about the Bible, but it is illegal to express it outwardly.”
Räsänen could have faced a maximum punishment of two years in jail if convicted, though the prosecutor was reportedly pushing for a “heavy fine.”
Beyond that, though, Räsänen was most concerned the case essentially put the Bible on trial in Finland, despite the fact the nation has freedom of faith and speech enshrined in its constitution.
She worried about the potential impact of losing her case.
“It would start the time of persecution of Christians in Finland, if I would be convicted,” Räsänen previously said. “Many lawyers agree with me, and then it would have … ramifications to other European countries.”
Her continued fight, as she said in her latest statement, at the Supreme Court — or even beyond — could more permanently cement religious freedom for herself and others in Europe.
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