Finnish MP P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen 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.<\/p>\n
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The hearing focuses on political freedoms in Europe and their impact on expression, technology firms, and public debate. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen appears as a witness due to her long-running legal case in Finland over statements on homosexuality<\/a> grounded in Christian doctrine.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, 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\u2019s Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Her appearance before Congress centres on her account of the prosecution and its broader meaning for speech and religion in Europe. She\u00a0has been asked to prepare for a hearing lasting up to four hours.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d R\u00e4s\u00e4nen said in a statement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n 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<\/a> in September, he said Europe faces \u201can attack on free expression\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n R\u00e4s\u00e4nen\u2019s 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\u2019s administration has repeatedly claimed that European states impose excessive limits on expression.<\/p>\n
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