Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen is due to testify on Wednesday before the United States House Judiciary Committee in Washington, where lawmakers are examining what they describe as a European threat to American free speech.
The hearing focuses on political freedoms in Europe and their impact on expression, technology firms, and public debate. Räsänen appears as a witness due to her long-running legal case in Finland over statements on homosexuality grounded in Christian doctrine.
Räsänen, a Christian Democrat MP and former interior minister, faces charges of ethnic agitation over writings and remarks that prosecutors say insult homosexuals as a group. Lower courts rejected the charges, yet the case remains pending before Finland’s Supreme Court.
Her appearance before Congress centres on her account of the prosecution and its broader meaning for speech and religion in Europe. She has been asked to prepare for a hearing lasting up to four hours.
“I am grateful for this opportunity. I will explain my legal case and my assessment of the state of fundamental rights in Finland and Europe, and I am prepared to answer questions from committee members,” Räsänen said in a statement.
The committee is chaired by Jim Jordan, a Republican congressman from Ohio and a close ally of President Donald Trump. Jordan has argued that European governments restrict expression through hate speech laws and digital regulation. Speaking at a previous hearing in September, he said Europe faces “an attack on free expression”.
Räsänen’s case has drawn sustained attention from conservative Christian groups in the United States. They present it as evidence of shrinking religious and speech freedoms in Europe. Trump’s administration has repeatedly claimed that European states impose excessive limits on expression.
In recent statements, Jordan has criticised European Union digital legislation, arguing that it affects American technology companies and online platforms. On Tuesday, Jordan released a 160-page report accusing EU regulators of censoring political speech online.
“These laws target our technology firms, which provide the forums for modern public debate and drive innovation in the global economy,” Jordan said at a previous session. He claimed that such regulation harms both Europe and the United States, while benefiting China.
HT