Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen is planning to appeal her case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) following a criminal conviction for hate speech when she published a pamphlet in 2004 that expressed her Christian views on marriage and sexuality.
The Finnish Supreme Court convicted Räsänen in March for “hate speech” under Finland’s criminal code governing “war crimes and crimes against humanity” but acquitted her for a 2019 tweet in which she expressed her views on marriage, Zeale News previously reported. However, she had published the pamphlet, titled “As Man and Woman He Created Them,” well before the section of code that informed her conviction was passed.
The court also convicted Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola and the Luther Foundation Finland for publishing the pamphlet for the church, legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International stated in a press release.
Räsänen’s appeal to the ECtHR follows nearly seven years of prosecution by Finnish authorities over the tweet and pamphlet. In the release, she said the Finnish Supreme Court has failed to protect free speech, which she added sets “a dangerous precedent” in Finland and all Europe.
“I feel it is my duty to appeal this decision, to reinstate respect for the basic human right that all are free to peacefully express their views in the public square,” she stated.
Räsänen said she is not the only one unjustly punished by “hate speech” laws for holding Christian beliefs.
“I make my appeal in the hope that the European Court of Human Rights will recognise that peacefully expressing one’s beliefs is never a crime, and ensure that this basic freedom is protected for all,” she continued.
Pohjola stated in the release that he and the Luther Foundation will join Räsänen in her appeal to the ECtHR.
According to ADF International, the ECtHR is Räsänen’s last legal hope for overturning her criminal conviction.
In the release, ADF legal counsel Lorcán Price said that Räsänen’s case is “among the most chilling developments in the ongoing attack on freedom of speech across Europe,” and emphasized the urgency of the ECtHR taking up the case.
“As subjective ‘hate speech’ laws are increasingly being used to silence and criminalise peaceful expression of beliefs,” Price stated, “the European Court of Human Rights has a responsibility to decisively protect the freedom of expression that is necessary in a truly democratic society.”