Finnish Christian MP to appear before Supreme Court over ‘hate crime’ Bible tweet
from The Christian Institute:
A Christian politician in Finland will be forced to stand trial for the third time, despite twice being vindicated over allegations of “hate speech” for sharing the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality.
In November, judges in Helsinki found “no reason” to overturn an earlier ruling that upheld Dr Päivi Räsänen’s right to free speech. But the country’s Supreme Court is now set to hear the charges against her for expressing biblical sexual ethics in a 2019 tweet and a 2004 pamphlet. The prosecutor chose not to appeal a third charge based on comments made on the radio.
Legal proceedings began in 2019, when Finland’s Prosecutor General claimed the former Minister of the Interior’s statements were derogatory, discriminatory, and may have violated the dignity of homosexual people.
Peace
The prosecution is demanding censorship of her publications and tens of thousands of euros in fines, but Dr Räsänen said she has a “peaceful mind” and will continue to “defend free speech and freedom of religion before the Supreme Court, and if need be, also before the European Court of Human Rights”.
She reflected: “In my case the investigation has lasted almost five years, has involved untrue accusations, several long police interrogations totalling more than 13 hours, preparations for court hearings, the District Court hearing, and a hearing in the Court of Appeal.
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