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A European politician has been found guilty by Finland\u2019s top court of \u201chate speech\u201d for sharing her Christian views on marriage in a 2004 church pamphlet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Supreme Court of Finland voted 3-2 on Thursday to find Finnish parliamentarian P\u00e4ivi R\u00e4s\u00e4nen guilty of \u201cmaking and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group.\u201d The \u201ctext\u201d she was charged over was a pamphlet explaining the Bible\u2019s position on marriage and sexual ethics, written with Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression,\u201d R\u00e4s\u00e4nen said Thursday. \u201cI stand by the teachings of my Christian faith, and will continue to defend my and every person\u2019s right to share their convictions in the public square.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n R\u00e4s\u00e4nen\u2019s case has drawn the attention of United States lawmakers, who have said it demonstrates the perilous status of free speech in Europe. Lower courts previously unanimously acquitted her in 2022 and 2023, before prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The court said that the pair \u201cmade available to the public and kept available to the public opinions that insult homosexuals as a group on the basis of their sexual orientation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The court ordered R\u00e4s\u00e4nen to remove 11 statements from the 25-page pamphlet, saying they should be removed from \u201cpublic access\u201d and \u201cdestroyed.\u201d Pohjola was also convicted alongside R\u00e4s\u00e4nen for his role in distributing the pamphlet. R\u00e4s\u00e4nen will be fined around $2079, and Pohjola will be fined $1270. The foundation that published the marriage pamphlet will be fined $5775.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The high court did acquit her of sharing a Bible verse from the book of Romans detailing the Christian understanding of sexuality.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n R\u00e4s\u00e4nen was represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom International and criminal defense lawyer Matti Sankamo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBy convicting me for expressing beliefs in a different context, the court has drawn an unclear, and I believe, dangerous line. This creates uncertainty, not only for me, but for every citizen who wishes to express their beliefs, or even more concerning for anyone who has expressed their opinions in the past,\u201d R\u00e4s\u00e4nen said during a press conference after the verdict attended by The Daily Wire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n R\u00e4s\u00e4nen, a member of the Lutheran church and Finland\u2019s former Ministry of the Interior, said she was considering an appeal to the European Union.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am taking legal advice on a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. This is not about my free speech alone, but that of every person in Finland,\u201d she said. \u201cA positive ruling would help to prevent other innocent people from experiencing the same ordeal for simply sharing their beliefs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Paul Coleman, a lawyer with Alliance Defending Freedom International, said the case showed the danger of how \u201cvaguely worded and highly subjective hate speech laws can be interpreted and misinterpreted by anyone who looks at them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n R\u00e4s\u00e4nen said Thursday she has received thousands of messages from people around the world through the ordeal, which began over seven years ago, and said that \u201cthe process has not been in vain\u201d and has given her an opportunity to share her faith with others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI believe that this process has been in God\u2019s hands, and even though I\u2019m disappointed and even shocked about this conviction that I got today,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe that this is also in God\u2019s hands, what happened. There is some purpose also for this situation where we are now. I trust in God.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n