Video: Païvi Räsänen's personal message on the upcoming case.
CCI hopes to be present at this hearing to encourage her and convey your support. You can show your support and leave a personal message to encourage Ms. Räsänen via this link. You can also support us financially to make the trip to Finland possible.
In the video at the top of this post, Ms. Räsänen tells her story especially for CCI. Watch and listen!
From the press release of Mrs. Räsänen:
The Supreme Court granted the Prosecutor General leave to appeal in this case over a year ago, on 19 April 2024. The investigation against me, which has lasted for over six years, has included false accusations, several lengthy police interrogations lasting over 13 hours, preparation for court hearings, District Court hearings and a Court of Appeals hearing.
The process began in June 2019 with a tweet I posted, in which I directed a question to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, which had announced its support for a Pride event. The main content of my post was an image attachment of verses 24–27 from Chapter 1 of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament. My criticism was not directed at any minority, but at the leadership of my own Church. The second charge concerns a pamphlet published in 2004 entitled “Male and Female He Created Them”.
In its unanimous decision of 14 November 2023, the Helsinki Court of Appeals dismissed all charges against me, stating that the contents of my texts were not unlawful and that the purpose of my writings was not to insult or offend homosexuals. Earlier, on 30 March 2022, the Helsinki District Court dismissed all charges against me, stating that the distorted statements attributed to me by the Prosecutor were not even found in my writings.
Six judges in two courts [in Finland courts sit with three judges] have therefore found nothing illegal in my writings, but the investigation continues in the Finnish Supreme Court on the appeal the Prosecutor General.
At the heart of the trial is the question of whether teachings related to the Bible can be presented and whether it is permissible to express agreement with them. I consider it a privilege and an honour to defend freedom of speech, which is a fundamental right in a democratic state.
A favourable decision by the Supreme Court of Finland would serve as a stronger precedent than the decisions of the lower courts in the event of similar charges being brought in the future. It would safeguard more clearly and strongly the freedom of Christians to uphold the teachings of the Bible and would generally strengthen the principle of freedom of speech.
We hope and pray that Ms. Räsänen will be acquitted. For her sake, but also for the sake of freedom to share God's word openly.