Finnish Parliament Member Päivi Räsänen says she has been banned from traveling to the UK after the British government revoked her electronic travel authorization (ETA), after first approving it.
Finland’s Supreme Court earlier this year upheld a conviction against the former Finnish interior minister and doctor on a hate speech charge related to her public statements on marriage and sexuality, accused of “making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group.”
The high court did acquit her on a separate charge of tweeting a Bible verse, but it found her guilty of “insult” for the two-decade-old pamphlet.
Räsänen says the ruling has affected her ability to travel and participate in meetings and conferences. She also expressed concern that the ruling has left many people uncertain about whether peacefully expressing their religious beliefs could expose them to legal consequences.
Evangelist Franklin Graham called the travel ban “hard to believe.”
“Finnish Member of Parliament and Christian @PaiviRasanen has been banned from flying through London’s Heathrow airport simply for her belief on biblical sexuality. She has been persecuted for many years in her home country and accused of ‘hate speech’ simply for quoting what the Bible says about homosexual sin,” Graham posted.
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Räsänen had been invited to speak at a conference on freedom of expression and religion in Belfast at the Northern Ireland Assembly.
After the Finnish Supreme Court ruling in March, Räsänen said, “I am shocked and profoundly disappointed that the court has failed to recognize my basic human right to freedom of expression. I stand by the teachings of my Christian faith, and will continue to defend my and every person’s right to share their convictions in the public square.”
She may appeal her case to the European Court of Human Rights.
ADF International provided Räsänen’s legal defense, arguing that freedom of speech enjoys strong protection in international law and is integral to the rights of citizens in Finland.
“Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy. It is right that the Court has acquitted Päivi Räsänen for her 2019 Bible verse tweet. However, the conviction for a simple church pamphlet published decades ago – before the law under which she has been convicted was even passed – is an outrageous example of state censorship. This decision will create a severe chilling effect for everyone’s right to speak freely,” stated Paul Coleman, Executive Director of ADF International.
CBN News has been covering this religious freedom case for many years. It began in 2019 when Räsänen tweeted a quote of Romans 1:24-27, which condemns homosexuality as sinful. At the time, she was alarmed over a decision by her denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to support an LGBTQ Pride event, so she responded by sharing Scripture on her X account, sparking a criminal complaint.
At the time, Räsänen said:
“In a free society, it should never be a crime to share a Bible verse or express beliefs rooted in faith. The burden of the legal ordeal of the past few years has been challenging, but I remain hopeful that justice will prevail — not only for me, but for the wider principle of free speech in Finland. No one should face criminal charges for peacefully voicing their convictions.”
Her shock has only grown over the years as she has appealed her case through the courts. In 2023, Räsänen told CBN’s Faithwire, “It was absurd, and it was crazy that I had to defend the biblical truths and my interpretation about the Bible, my faith, and my beliefs in front of the judges. It is like in medieval times.”
“I think that all people are equal,” Räsänen said. “We all are sinners; we all are … in need of grace, what Jesus has given, but the prosecutor was very stubborn with these arguments, even though the district court had already said that they didn’t find such statements in my writings or in my pamphlet.”
* 2023 ‘Like Medieval Times’: Finnish Politician Prosecuted For Biblical Views Reacts to ‘Crazy’ Trial, Issues Warning
* 2022 ‘I Will Not Renounce My Beliefs’: Hate Speech Charges Dropped for Now Against Lawmaker Who Quoted Bible
