Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen has said she will appeal her criminal conviction to the European Court of Human Rights after being found guilty by Finland’s Supreme Court over a 20-year-old church booklet discussing her views on marriage and sexuality.
Räsänen, a former interior minister, was convicted in March 2026 of “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group” in relation to a 2004 publication produced for her Lutheran church. Bishop Juhana Pohjola and the Luther Foundation Finland were also convicted for publishing the booklet.
The case was brought under Finland’s 2011 “hate speech” legislation, which criminalises “agitation against a minority group” under provisions of the criminal code categorised alongside war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Räsänen and her co-defendants had previously been unanimously acquitted by two lower courts following a prosecution lasting nearly seven years. The Supreme Court upheld her acquittal in relation to a 2019 tweet quoting the Bible and a separate radio appearance, but overturned earlier rulings concerning the church booklet by a 3–2 majority.
Räsänen said she is appealing to Europe’s highest human rights court in the final stage of the legal process.
“The failure of the Finnish Supreme Court to uphold freedom of speech has set a dangerous precedent in my country and across Europe. I feel it is my duty to appeal this decision, to reinstate respect for the basic human right that all are free to peacefully express their views in the public square.”
She added: “I know I am not alone in facing unjust persecution under ‘hate speech’ laws that make sharing Christian beliefs a criminal offense. I make my appeal in the hope that the European Court of Human Rights will recognise that peacefully expressing one’s beliefs is never a crime, and ensure that this basic freedom is protected for all.”
The Supreme Court ruled that the booklet “did not contain incitement to violence or comparable threat-like fomenting of hatred”, but nevertheless imposed fines and ordered the removal of the material from public access.
Bishop Pohjola criticised the decision, saying: “As a Bishop, I have a responsibility to guide those under my pastoral care, and I am deeply concerned by the state’s extensive efforts to censor our publications and decide what can and cannot be taught by religious leaders to members of their own group.”
He confirmed that he and the Luther Foundation will join Räsänen in appealing to the European Court of Human Rights.
The appeal to the European Court of Human Rights represents the final legal avenue for Räsänen and her co-defendants, and is expected have wider implications for freedom of expression and religious speech across Europe.