Räsänen ready to take case to international court
Finnish MP Räsänen. Photo Facebook, Päivi Räsänen
Northern Europe
After Finnish parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen received a verdict, she had a decision to make. Now, she has decided to take her case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
“I hope that in Strasbourg it will be acknowledged that the peaceful expression of convictions is not a crime and that the Court will affirm everyone’s right to express their views without fear of state censorship. My writings and views may be freely opposed and criticised, but labelling opinions as crimes seriously restricts freedom of expression,” she says in a Finnish parliament press release on her homepage.
This year in March, the Finnish Supreme Court convicted Päivi Räsänen and Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola of “incitement against a group of people".
While the court ruled that the pamphlet they had published in 2004 (Male and Female He Created Them) did not “incite violence or threaten hostility", it contained content that “insulted homosexuals as a group” by claiming them to be "inferior", she writes in the release. The court has ordered Räsänen to pay a fine and cease further publication of her pamphlet.
Räsänen responded by saying that she has repeatedly written that “people are equal and of equal value.” The court dismissed Räsänen’s other charge regarding her tweet and Bible quote against the national Lutheran church’s support for a pride event.
Regarding the current conviction, Räsänen disagrees with the Supreme Court’s ruling and says that the legal system shows a “lack of clarity”. Of the twelve judges across three levels of courts, nine found no issue with the pamphlet. At the same time, the Supreme Court ruled 3-2, which went against the decision of the court rapporteur, she says in the press release.
“My writings do not arise from hatred, but from compassion and the aim of encouraging church communities toward openness and love of neighbour, including toward minorities,” she says.
Now that she has decided to take the case further, she hopes that she will send a “clear message” that no one should have to go through a case similar to hers.
She also thanks everyone who has supported her throughout the years-long case.
“I still do not believe that I have committed anything unlawful in my writings. I will continue the fight for freedom of speech and religion with a calm mind and confidence,” she says in the release.
