Finland’s Supreme Court found Räsänen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola (who published the pamphlet) guilty of hate speech in a 3-2 decision. The Court “imposed criminal fines of several thousands of Euros and ruled that the impugned statements must be ‘removed from public access and destroyed,’” said Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, which coordinated Räsänen’s defense.
In a summary of the Court’s judgment, ADF International said, “The Court found Räsänen and the Bishop guilty for having ‘made available to the public and kept available to the public opinions that insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation.’”
Moreover, the Court said, “It must be taken into account that the text forming the basis for the conviction did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred. The conduct is therefore not particularly serious in terms of the nature of the offense.”
Kristen Waggoner, CEO, president, and chief counsel of Alliance Defending Freedom, said she was appalled by Räsänen’s hate speech conviction “for a church pamphlet she wrote in 2004, long before the law in question was passed.”
“This is a dark day for freedom in Europe and across the Western world. Punishing peaceful expression undermines the very foundation of free societies,” Waggoner said. “The right to speak freely, including on matters of faith and morality, is firmly protected under international law. We will continue to stand with Dr. Räsänen and Bishop Pohjola as they consider an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.”
I am appalled that—while Päivi Räsänen was thankfully acquitted for her 2019 Bible verse tweet—the Finnish Supreme Court has convicted her of criminal “hate speech” for a church pamphlet she wrote in 2004, long before the law in question was passed.
Her Lutheran bishop, Juhana… https://t.co/2Rt0sHNBUA
— Kristen Waggoner (@KristenWaggoner) March 26, 2026
