Päivi Räsänen, a Christian lawmaker and Member of Parliament from Finland was convicted Thursday of a hate crime for a 2004 church pamphlet citing biblical teaching on human sexuality.
The conviction came even as the nation’s Supreme Court unanimously cleared her of charges for quoting the same Scripture on social media.
Räsänen, a member of Parliament with the Christian Democrats since 1995 and a former interior minister who is solidly pro-life, and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola were found guilty in a 3-2 split decision under the “war crimes and crimes against humanity” section of Finland’s criminal code.
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The conviction stems from the pamphlet “Male and Female He Created Them,” which Räsänen wrote and Pohjola published for their church.
The court ruled that they had made available to the public “opinions that insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation.”
Justices acknowledged the content “did not incite violence or hatred” and described the conduct as “not particularly serious,” yet still held the pair criminally liable. The court ordered the decades-old pamphlet removed from public access and destroyed.
In the same ruling, the Supreme Court unanimously acquitted Räsänen on charges tied to her 2019 social media post in which she questioned her church’s sponsorship of a Pride event and quoted Bible verses from Romans 1:24-27.
“I am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression,” Räsänen said. “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.”
“I am taking legal advice on a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. This is not about my free speech alone, but that of every person in Finland. A positive ruling would help to prevent other innocent people from experiencing the same ordeal for simply sharing their beliefs,” she added.
Räsänen has long defended the sanctity of life and traditional biblical doctrine on marriage and sexuality as a pro-life voice in Finnish politics. She and the bishop have faced repeated investigations and trials since 2019 for expressing their faith.
Kristen Waggoner, president and CEO of ADF International, which represented Räsänen, called the partial conviction “a dark day for freedom in Europe and across the Western world.”
“Punishing peaceful expression undermines the very foundation of free societies,” Waggoner said. “The right to speak freely, including on matters of faith and morality, is firmly protected under international law. We will continue to stand with Dr. Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola as they consider an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.”
The case began after Räsänen’s 2019 social media post. Lower courts had previously acquitted the pair unanimously, but prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court.
The ruling comes despite the court’s admission that the pamphlet did not call for violence, highlighting how “hate speech” laws are being used to target Christians who publicly affirm biblical teaching on life and family.
