2023-11-15 19:15:40
Finnish Christian deputy Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran bishop Juhana Pohjola achieved yet another victory in the legal war waged against them for reflecting Christian principles on sexuality, including the biblical disapproval against homosexuality.
Unanimously, the Helsinki Court of Appeal dismissed all charges against Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola. They had already won the case which accused them of “hate speech” in the first instance for having shared their beliefs in a booklet and, in the case of the deputy, in subsequent interviews and publications.
The Court’s decision was unanimous in confirming the unanimous acquittal of the district court in March 2022. The collegiate rejected the arguments in the appeal presented by the State attorney, pointing out that “it has no reason, based on the evidence received at the main hearing, to evaluate the case differently than in the District Court.”
In the second instance ruling, the court emphasized that there is “no reason to change the final result of the District Court’s decision”, according to information from the Alliance Defending Freedom entity (ADF).
Päivi Räsänen celebrated her second victory since being persecuted for preaching what she believes: “I am deeply relieved. The court fully approved and upheld the district court’s decision, which recognized everyone’s right to freedom of expression,” she said.
“It is not a crime to tweet a Bible verse or participate in a public discourse with a Christian perspective. Attempts to prosecute me for expressing my beliefs resulted in an extremely painful four years, but my hope is that the outcome remains a fundamental precedent for protecting the human right to freedom of expression. I sincerely hope that other innocent people are spared the same ordeal by simply expressing their convictions”, added the Christian deputy.
Faced with the prosecution’s insistence on trying to criminalize the Christian message on the subject, the court ordered the prosecution to pay tens of thousands in legal fees to cover the defendants’ costs.
According to the Finnish legal framework, the prosecutors who brought the case can appeal the decision in the second instance only once more, appealing to the Supreme Court within the deadline of January 15, 2024.
Coordinated by ADF International, Päivi’s legal defense highlighted the strong protection that freedom of expression enjoys in international law, as well as being an integral part of Finnish democracy.
The appeals court acknowledged that although some may object to the Christian congresswoman’s statements, “there must be a compelling social reason to interfere with and restrict freedom of expression,” and added that “it is not up to the District Court to interpret biblical concepts.”
“As we celebrate this monumental victory, we also remember that it comes after four years of police investigations, criminal charges, lawsuits and court hearings,” said Paul Coleman, author of the book Censorship: How European laws against hate speech are threatening freedom of expression.
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