This fall, a parliamentarian and a Lutheran bishop will stand trial for the third time for the “hate speech” crime of publicly expressing their biblical views on marriage and sexuality, despite having already been acquitted by two prior courts.
Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola continue to endure what seems like a never-ending nightmare over a Bible-based tweet posted nearly 7 years ago and a Bible-based pamphlet published more than 20 years ago. This week, the pair learned that they will be criminally tried on October 30 before the Supreme Court of Finland, marking the third time they’ve faced criminal prosecution for the same charges.
The case will determine whether it is legal or illegal for Finnish citizens to publicly speak biblical views. Well…maybe. After all, Räsänen and Pohjola have been acquitted twice before and still the case against them goes on.
Déjà vu may be the collective feeling for U.S. observers, who wonder if they haven’t heard all this before.
The case began in 2019 after Räsänen posted a message on Twitter (now X) criticizing her church’s sponsorship of an LGBT pride event. The post cited Romans 1:24-27 and her commentary, asking, “How does the church’s doctrine, the Bible, fit together with the cause where shame and sin are raised as a topic of pride?”
Finnish prosecutors launched an investigation and ultimately charged her with three counts of violating the nation’s hate speech laws and of ethnic agitation for supposedly targeting minorities. The other two charges stemmed from a 2004 pamphlet that she and Pohjola published, which led to similar charges against him, and a radio interview in which Räsänen discussed the Bible’s views on sexuality. The charges are considered very serious and carry a possible punishment of up to seven years in prison, along with stiff fines.
In 2022, the pair were both unanimously acquitted of all charges by a district court.
However, in Finland, there is no protection against double jeopardy as there is in the U.S., which allows the government to appeal any criminal acquittals they don’t like or agree with. So prosecutors appealed the decision to the Helsinki Court of Appeals. But, in 2023, that court also unanimously acquitted Räsänen and Pohjola of all charges.
Their case has drawn international attention, including from the U.S. State Department, but not enough for the Finnish government to stop it.
Going for triple jeopardy, prosecutors have appealed two charges stemming from Räsänen’s tweet and Pohjola’s pamphlet to the Supreme Court of Finland (though not the charge related to the radio interview). In April 2024, the justices agreed to hear the case and they have now set a trial date of October 30.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which represents the two defendants, released a statement earlier this week in response to the upcoming trial.
“It is shocking that after two unanimous acquittals, Päivi Räsänen is again being dragged to court to defend her fundamental right to freedom of speech. As we have warned for years, vaguely worded ‘hate speech’ laws allow ideological prosecutions like this to take place,” said Paul Coleman, executive director of ADF International. “We stand behind Päivi and we will continue to work toward the bigger victory when such ludicrous cases are no longer brought. In a free and democratic society, all should be allowed to share their beliefs without fear of punishment.”
Räsänen said that she welcomes the trial before the nation’s Supreme Court. “It isn’t a crime to tweet a Bible verse, or to engage in public discourse from a Christian perspective. The attempts to criminalize me for expressing my beliefs have resulted in an immensely trying last few years, but I still hope for a positive result that will stand as a key precedent to protect the human right to free speech in Finland,” she stated.
When the court first announced that it would hear the appeal, Räsänen stated, “This was not just about my opinions, but about everyone’s freedom of expression. I hope that with the ruling of the Supreme Court, others would not have to undergo the same ordeal. I have considered it a privilege and an honor to defend freedom of expression, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state.”
At the root of this case is a simple question: Do Finnish citizens, most notably the country’s population of orthodox and evangelical Christians, have a free speech right to post Bible verses or express their religious views publicly?
Shockingly, prosecutors have justified their charges by arguing that Räsänen and Pohjola’s interpretation of the Bible is illegal, even going so far as to insist that the word “sin” is harmful.
Their insistence on moving forward in their persecution of Räsänen, a medical doctor, former Minister of the Interior, and long-serving MP, , along with Pohjola, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, should stand as a cautionary tale on the dangers of “speech laws.” While proponents claim that they only target so-called “hate speech,” what these laws really do is give the government carte blanche permission to target any and all dissenting views, as well as their political and ideological opponents.
For Americans, this case also highlights the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. Not only did they ensure the rights to free speech and religious liberty in the First Amendment, but they also included protections against double jeopardy in the Fifth Amendment, ensuring that citizens could not be tried, convicted, or punished over and over for the same crime.
While the U.S. legal system has been rightly criticized for being misused as a weapon against political opponents in recent years, Finland’s legal structure is inherently structured to weaponize the law against those whose views the government finds abhorrent.
Thus, every time an acquittal has been handed down, Räsänen and Pohjola have never been able to celebrate and get on with their lives. That’s because instead of being chastened and recognizing the dubious nature of their case, prosecutors simply regroup, double down, and search out a court that will finally agree with their charges.
And even if they never win, the government has sent a clear message to others who dare speak an unapproved message: Express a view we don’t like and we will destroy your life by keeping you tied up in court and burdened with legal fees for years. It’s an old tyrannical tactic, and it’s especially effective. Others see this unjust persecution of their fellow citizens who speak truth and they quickly start self-censoring.
After all, if the government can target and persecute an elected, high-profile Member of Parliament and a Lutheran bishop over a tweet and a 20-year-old pamphlet discussing biblical principles, what could they do to an average citizen?
Thankfully, lower courts have unanimously ruled against prosecutors and ordered them to pay the defendants’ court fees, though that cost will be borne by taxpayers. But it really doesn’t matter, if the prosecutors pay no personal price and they can just go on trying defendants in perpetuity.
Let us pray that the Supreme Court of Finland will rule justly and order the prosecution to stop its ongoing retribution. And let us also pray that Räsänen and Pohjola’s case finally helps the citizens of Finland and other liberal Western nations realize just how desperately they need the God-given freedoms and protections Americans already have, thanks to the U.S. Constitution.
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