The Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen has made an eleventh-hour appeal to the Home Secretary to be allowed to enter the UK in order to speak at a religious freedom conference on Friday.
The Christian politician was convicted of "hate speech" by Finland's Supreme Court in March for "insulting" a group over traditional views on marriage and sexuality she expressed in a church booklet in 2004.
Räsänen, who is a member of the Finnish Parliament's 'Friends of the United Kingdom' group, was invited to give a talk in person this week about freedom of speech at a conference in Northern Ireland. But last month her Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for the UK was cancelled, despite being initially approved in June.
After her ETA was cancelled, the 66 year old applied for a full visa and has now appealed to Shabana Mahmood to make a last-minute intervention to allow her to attend the conference in person.
A bishop, Juhana Pohjola, who was convicted alongside Räsänen for publishing the booklet, has also been denied permission to come to the UK.
Christian legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has called on the Home Secretary to take immediate action and said it is concerned over "overbroad 'hate speech' legislation that criminalises and discourages the peaceful expression of dissenting views, including certain Christian beliefs".
The Home Office told Premier Christian News that it does not routinely comment on individual cases. However, its rules state: "It is standard practice to refuse or cancel an ETA if someone has declared a criminal conviction in the last 12 months or they receive a custodial or suspended sentence of 12 months or more. All individuals seeking entry to the UK must meet the requirements of the immigration rules. Individuals who do not hold a valid ETA may choose to apply for a visa if they wish to travel to the UK."
Räsänen said: "It is shocking that the UK has blocked me, a democratically elected politician in an allied European state, from entering the country.
"I was convicted of 'hate speech' in Finland for peacefully expressing my Christian views. This was an egregious case of state censorship, noted with concern by observers around the world, including the US State Department and the US Religious Liberty Commission.
"Even though this unjust conviction is currently on appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, the UK has likely refused me travel authorisation on this basis. In doing so, the UK is punishing me for exercising my fundamental human rights.
"I call on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to urgently intervene to allow me to enter the UK to speak at this event. There is still time for this censorship to be reversed."
Räsänen has appealed to the European Court of Human Rights over her conviction and ADF, which is representing her, says it is the last opportunity to overturn the conviction and end the seven-year legal process.