Finland’s Supreme Court is to hear a landmark free speech case on Thursday involving parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola.
In a legal battle that has spanned years, the pair are accused of hate speech for publicly expressing Christian views on marriage and sexuality.
The case stems from a 2019 tweet by Räsänen, former Finnish Minister of the Interior, which quoted a Bible verse questioning her church’s support for a Pride event, and a pamphlet about the Christian perspective of marriage co-published with Pohjola.
They were later charged with “agitation against a minority group” under Finland’s criminal code, a provision that falls within laws addressing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
They were acquitted by the Helsinki District Court in 2022 and then the Court of Appeal in 2023, with both ruling that their comments were protected by freedom of expression and religion.
The prosecution did not accept the verdicts and has appealed to the Supreme Court, which will now issue a final judgment expected in the coming months. If convicted, Räsänen and Pohjola could be fined thousands of euros and be forced to censor the tweet and pamphlet.
Räsänen said before the hearing that she hoped the decision would affirm freedom of speech in Finland.
“In a free society, it should never be a crime to share a Bible verse or express beliefs rooted in faith," she said.
"The burden of the legal ordeal of the past few years has been challenging, but I remain hopeful that justice will prevail — not only for me, but for the wider principle of free speech in Finland. No one should face criminal charges for peacefully voicing their convictions."
Pohjola said the case “is larger than me or Päivi Räsänen,” describing it as a test of whether Finland will continue to protect free expression and religious belief.
"The process has been long, and that’s why I’m pleased that it is coming to an end. I look forward to the oral hearing with confidence, where we can, with a clear conscience and openly, express how every person has an inviolable human dignity and what the Christian view of marriage means," he said.
“This case is larger than me or Päivi Räsänen. It is about whether Finland will remain a country where freedom of speech and religion are respected in practice, not just in theory.
"The Christian message of marriage and sexuality has been taught for two millennia, and it should never be considered a crime to speak what Christians have always believed."
The proceedings have drawn international attention from legal and religious freedom groups who view the case as a test of how European democracies balance hate speech laws with freedom of religion and expression.
ADF International, which is supporting the defence, said the prosecution “creates a climate of fear”. It has urged the court to uphold the lower courts’ previous rulings.
