Finland\u2019s Supreme Court has fined member of parliament P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen for incitement against a group over a church pamphlet, while clearing her of charges linked to a social media post that cited the Bible. The ruling ends a legal process that lasted close to seven years and has drawn political and legal reaction across the country.<\/p>\n
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The court ruled by a 3\u20132 vote that R\u00e4s\u00e4nen and Lutheran bishop Juhana Pohjola committed an offence by publishing and keeping available a text that insulted homosexuals as a group. The text formed part of a pamphlet written in 2004 and later shared online in 2019 and 2020.<\/p>\n
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The court imposed fines of 20 day-units on both defendants. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen must pay about 1,800 euros based on her income. The Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese and Luther Foundation face a corporate fine of 5,000 euros. The court also ordered the removal of specific passages it found unlawful from online platforms.<\/p>\n
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The judgment stated that the pamphlet described homosexuality as a disorder in psychosexual development and rejected the view that it forms a natural variation of human sexuality. The court found such claims incorrect and said they placed homosexual people in an unequal position compared with heterosexual people. It held that these statements amounted to an insult against a group on the basis of sexual orientation.<\/p>\n
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The court said the case did not centre on religious confession. It found that the disputed passages reflected social and medical claims rather than expressions tied to religious doctrine. It added that freedom of religion did not protect statements unrelated to religion when assessing criminal liability. The court stated that the decision did not conflict with constitutional protections of speech or religion.<\/p>\n
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The ruling noted that R\u00e4s\u00e4nen acted as a member of parliament and as a trained doctor when presenting her views. It said these roles increased the potential impact of the statements.<\/p>\n
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At the same time, the court unanimously rejected a charge linked to a 2019 post on social media. In that message, R\u00e4s\u00e4nen questioned her church\u2019s decision to support a Pride event and attached a Bible verse. The court said the message expressed a negative view but did not meet the threshold for a criminal offence when assessed in context.<\/p>\n
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R\u00e4s\u00e4nen said after the ruling that the outcome came as a shock. \u201cI am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression,\u201d she said in a statement released by ADF International<\/a>, which has supported her legal defence. She said she was seeking advice on a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n ADF International said the conviction related to the availability of the pamphlet online and not to incitement to violence. The organisation said the court noted the conduct did not involve threats or calls to violence. Its executive director Paul Coleman said the acquittal over the tweet was right but criticised the conviction. \u201cThis decision will create a severe chilling effect for everyone\u2019s right to speak freely,\u201d he said in the statement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Finland\u2019s lower courts had earlier cleared R\u00e4s\u00e4nen of all charges. The Helsinki District Court ruled in March 2022<\/a> that the statements, while offensive, did not meet the threshold for criminal hate speech. The Court of Appeal upheld that outcome in November 2023. The state prosecutor then appealed to the Supreme Court to clarify the balance between freedom of expression and protection against discrimination.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Green party leader Sofia Virta said the ruling affirmed limits on speech. \u201cFinland is a country where people must not be labelled or mocked without consequence. Freedom of speech is important, but it comes with responsibility,\u201d she said in a message to the newspaper.<\/p>\n
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