Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen was chair of the Christian Democrats from 2004 to 2015; as interior minister she had responsibility for church affairs. On 2 March she faced a police investigation because of a tweet she posted last year directed at the leadership of her church, questioning its sponsorship of the LGBT event ‘Pride 2019’, and quoting a Bible text. After a lengthy police interview last November, she now faces a second interrogation about a pamphlet she wrote 16 years ago on human sexuality for a Christian foundation. These sorts of cases create a culture of fear and censorship and are becoming common throughout Europe. In a free society, everyone should be allowed to share their beliefs without fear of censorship. Finland has a number of laws to regulate speech, including the ‘ethnic agitation’ law which carries a prison sentence of up to two years.
Finland: free speech
Written by David Fletcher 12 Mar 2020Additional Info
- Pray: for an end to criminalising speech through laws which threaten our democracies. (Job 15:3)
- More: adfinternational.org/news/major-free-speech-case-in-finland-long-serving-mp-interviewed-today-by-police-for-questioning-church-leadership-on-twitter/
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