Finnish Politician Wins After Facing Jail Time Over Bible Verse — but is the Battle Over?
A Finnish politician who faced a years-long legal battle for sharing her biblical views on sexuality has been found not guilty of hate speech for sharing a Bible verse, among other expressions. Dr. Päivi Räsänen, a member of Finland’s parliament whose religious freedom plight made international headlines, expressed relief after the Helsinki Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the three criminal charges against her.
“I am deeply relieved,” Räsänen told CBN Digital. “The court has fully endorsed and upheld the decision of the District Court, which recognized everyone’s right to free speech.” The politician continued, “It isn’t a crime to tweet a Bible verse, or to engage in public discourse with a Christian perspective.”
Räsänen, who recently described the elongated legal battle over her Christian beliefs as “absurd,” “crazy,” and akin to “medieval times,” said the prosecutions have been personally difficult. But she hopes the conclusion of the case creates a “key precedent to protect the human right to free speech.” “I sincerely hope other innocent people will be spared the same ordeal for simply voicing their convictions,” Räsänen added.
Finland’s former interior minister has been vocal about her legal plight, telling CBN Digital months before her latest vindication she simply could not believe she has had to face two separate legal battles for merely sharing her Christian beliefs. In an interview after she was cleared of charges, she expanded upon her free speech and religious freedom battle, and explained why she hasn’t been willing to back down.
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