US EditionFinland's Supreme Court fines MP for calling homosexuality 'developmental disorder'
The court upheld fines of €1,800 and ordered removal of unlawful content, ruling Räsänen's pamphlet insulted homosexuals and violated anti-discrimination laws.
- On Tuesday, Finland's Supreme Court found MP Paivi Rasanen guilty of incitement against a group, fining her 1,800 euros for calling homosexuality a "developmental disorder" in a pamphlet shared online in 2019 and 2020.
- The ruling concludes a legal process lasting close to seven years, overturning earlier acquittals by lower courts that had previously cleared Rasanen of all charges regarding the pamphlet's content.
- While convicting Rasanen for the pamphlet, the court unanimously acquitted her of a separate charge involving a 2019 social media post that featured a Bible quote condemning gay relations.
- Rasanen called the outcome "a shock" and told reporters she would consider appealing to the European Court of Human Rights, while ADF International criticized the conviction as creating a "chilling effect."
- Government ministers from the Finns Party immediately called for legislative changes to the incitement law, while Green party leader Sofia Virta argued the ruling affirms necessary limits on speech.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Finnish Supreme Court Convicts Päivi Räsänen of "Hate Speech"
After a seven-year legal battle, the infamous “Bible tweet” prosecution of Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen concluded with a mixed verdict from the Supreme Court on Thursday. The court unanimously acquitted the former minister of the interior for her 2019 tweet quoting Scripture but convicted Räsänen for “hate speech” under the “war crimes and crimes against humanity” section of the Finnish criminal code for a 2004 booklet she co-authored f…
Finland Convicts Christian Politician for Quoting the Bible
Finland’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a sitting member of parliament committed “hate speech” by co-authoring a church pamphlet in 2004 that cited the Bible’s teaching on marriage. The vote was 3-2 against Paivi Rasanen, a member of Finland’s Christian Democrats and the country’s former Minister of the Interior. The pamphlet she co-wrote with Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola ran 25 pages and laid out the Lutheran position on marriage and sexu…
Christian Pamphlet is ‘Hate Speech,’ Finland’s Supreme Court Rules
A 2004 pamphlet explaining traditional Christian views of sex and marriage is “hate speech,” Finland’s Supreme Court ruled on March 26, fining a member of parliament, a Lutheran bishop, and a church group hundreds of dollars. The verdict, the culmination of years of prosecutions, sends a chilling message on free speech, advocates warn. The Supreme Court of Finland delivered a split decision in a closely watched case involving Paivi Rasanen, a lo…
Conservative Review
Conservative AngleFinland’s Supreme Court Convicts Christians Of ‘Hate Speech’ For Saying Men And Women Are Different
In a case with global implications, Finland's high court rules discussing what the Bible says about sexuality is 'hate speech.'
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